H^I^  XV  IkYT^l  12*  V^ 

FRONTIER 


ON  THE  COAST 


CAPT.WYN  ROOSEVELT 


"THEY  WERE  NOW  GOING   UP  THE   FACE  OF  THE  CLIFF."  — P.  204. 
Frontier  Boys  on  the  Coast. 


FRONTIER    BOYS 
ON  THE  COAST 

OR 

IN  THE  PIRATE'S  POWER 


BY 
CAPT.  WYN  ROOSEVELT 


NEW  YORK 

HURST   &   COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS. 


THE  FRONTIER  BOYS 

By  CAPT.  WYN  ROOSEVELT 

This  series  tells  the  adventures  of  Jim,  Joe,  and 
Tom  Darlington,  first  in  their  camp  wagon  as  they 
follow  the  trail  to  the  great  West  in  the  early  days. 
They  are  real  American  boys,  resourceful,  humorous, 
and — but  you  must  meet  them.  You  will  find  them 
interesting  company.  They  meet  with  thrilling  ad- 
ventures and  encounters,  and  stirring  incidents  are 
the  rule,  not  exception. 

Historically,  these  books  present  a  true  picture  of 
a  period  in  our  history  as  important  as  it  was  pictur- 
esque, when  the  nation  set  its  face  toward  this  vast 
unknown  West,  and  conquered  it. 

1.  Frontier  Boys  on  Overland  Trail 

2.  Frontier  Boys  in  Colorado 

3.  Frontier  Boys  in  the  Rockies 

4.  Frontier  Boys  in  the  Grand  Canyon 

5.  Frontier  Boys  in  Mexico 

6.  Frontier  Boys  on  the  Coast 

7.  Frontier  Boys  in  Hawaii 

8.  Frontier  Boys  in  the  Sierras 

9.  Frontier  Boys  in  the  Saddle 

10.  Frontier  Boys  in  Frisco. 

11.  Frontier  Boys  in  the  South  Seas 

Illustrated,     12mo,     Cloth 
Price  per  Volume^  50  Cents 


COPYRIGHT,  1909,  BY 
THE  PLATT  &  PECK  Co. 


STACK 
ANNEX 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  CAPTAIN  BILL  BROOM 9 

II.  THE  COVE  AND  THE  CAVE 16 

III.  THE  BARBED  WIRE 23 

IV.  PETE'S  YARN 30 

V.  THE  FOUR  BOYS 37 

VI.  THE  HUNCHBACK 45 

VII.  FARMER   BROOM 53 

VIII.  THE  CAMP  IN  THE  POCKET 60 

IX.  THE  ATTACK 68 

X.  "HAUL  IN" 76 

XI.  MISSOURI'S   MANOEUVRE 82 

XII.  THE  RANCHERO 90 

XIII.  A  NEW  FRIEND 100 

XIV.  THE  PURSUIT 109 

XV.  JIM  AND  THE  SEA  EAGLE 118 

XVI.  THE  BOYS  PUT  ON  STYLE 127 

XVII.  ON  BOARD  THE  SEA  EAGLE 135 

XVIII.  A  DAY  AT  SEA 144 

XIX.  THE   PASSENGER 152 

XX.  To  THE  RESCUE 161 

XXI.  THE  BANDITS 169 

XXII.  RACE  WITH  THE  TIDE 177 

XXIII.  THE  ENCHANTED  ISLE 184 

XXIV.  IN  THE  WHITE  BOAT 191 

XXV.  IN  PERIL 198 

XXVI.  Two  LASSOES 206 

XXVII.  ANOTHER   FRIEND 214 

XXVIII.  A  TALE  OF  YORE 220 

XXIX.  A  WONDERFUL  LEAP 232 

XXX.  IN  THE  STRAIT 239 

XXXI.  CONCLUSION    246 


FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE 
COAST 


CHAPTER  I 

CAPTAIN  BILL  BROOM 

"What  devilment  has  old  Bill  got  on  for  tonight, 
Pete?" 

The  speaker  was  seated  on  an  old  scarred  sea 
chest  in  a  dimly  lighted  forecastle. 

"I  dunno,"  replied  Pete,  "maybe  he's  lookin'  fer  a 
wreck." 

"I  hearn  the  mate  say  somethin'  about  a  passel  of 
four  boys,"  put  in  a  third  man  who  was  laying  back 
in  his  bunk,  "that  the  skipper  was  a-lookin'  for." 

"Kidnapping,  eh?"  said  Cales,  the  first  speaker. 
"Hold  'em  for  ransom,  I  suppose.  Well,  the  old 
man  has  been  in  worse  games  than  that.  I  reckon 
the  kids'  parents  are  rich  and  are  willin'  to  pay  a 
high  price  for  their  darlings." 

"You're  on  the  wrong  tack,  matey,"  said  the  man 
9 


io     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

in  the  bunk.  "Cap'n  Brinks,  who  landed  in  San 
Diego  from  a  Mexican  port  put  the  old  man  wise. 
He  told  him  that  those  fellars  had  considerable 
money  and  a  raft  of  jewels  with  'em  that  they 
picked  up  in  Mexico." 

"Ho,  Ho,  that's  the  game,  is  it,"  cried  Cales, 
thumping  his  knee  with  a  gnarled  fist,  "that  ought  to 
be  easy  then." 

"Looks  so,  but  it  ain't,"  replied  the  other,  "those 
four  boys  have  got  somethin'  of  a  reputation  in  the 
southwest.  Hard  fighters  and  good  shots  and  their 
leader  is  a  husky  lad  and  about  as  crafty  as  a  red 
Injun." 

"He  ain't  met  the  Old  Man  yet,"  said  Cales  sig- 
nificantly. 

"I  don't  see  where  you  get  all  your  news  from, 
Jake,"  growled  Pete  from  his  seat  on  the  chest, 
"you  ought  to  be  a  reporter." 

"I  keep  my  eyes  open  and  my  mouth  shet,"  re- 
plied Jake,  "any  man  can  get  larned  if  he  will  do 
that." 

"I'd  like  to  have  a  picter  of  you  with  your  mouth 
shet,"  remarked  Pete.  "It's  open  even  when  you 
are  asleep."  He  dodged  just  in  time  to  avoid  a 
heavy  shoe  flung  from  Jake's  ready  hand  that 
crashed  against  the  wall. 

"Don't  do  that  agin,"  he  warned,  a   red  light 


CAPTAIN  BILL  BROOM  11 

showing  in  his  eyes.  "I'll  lam  you  boys  that  I 
ain't  as  old  as  I  looks  to  be." 

Jake  laughed  harshly. 

"You  mustn't  keep  your  own  mouth  open  so  wide, 
Pop,  cause  you'll  have  to  swallow  your  own  words 
if  you  do." 

"I  guess  I'll  never  git  choked,"  replied  Pete, 
truculently.  "Kin  you  tell  me  what  the  skipper 
means  snooping  down  this  coast  with  no  lights 
showing  when  it's  plumb  dark?  We  are  liable  to 
sink  ourselves  or  Californey  all  of  a  suddint." 

"Why  don't  you  ask  the  Cap'n  what  he  is  up  to?" 
inquired  Cales,  "that  is,  if  you  want  some  real  use- 
ful information,  Pop." 

Pop  raised  himself  up  and  glared  at  the  speaker. 

"I  ain't  done  living,"  he  replied. 

"We  are  navigating  pretty  careful,"  remarked 
Jake.  "You  can  hardly  feel  the  Sea  Eagle  moving." 

"Running  for  the  cove,  I  reckon,"  suggested 
Cales,  "I'm  mighty  pleased  not  to  be  the  man  at  the 
wheel.  Well,  I'm  goin'  to  turn  in  for  a  snooze." 

In  a  brief  time  the  two  men  were  snoring  loudly, 
while  old  Pete  sat  smoking  his  pipe,  as  stolid  as  a 
wooden  Indian  and  the  forecastle  was  fogged  with 
the  smoke,  through  which  the  swinging  lantern 
shone  dimly.  The  air  is  stifling  so  let  us  go  up  on 
deck  where  we  can  breathe  the  salt  ozone  and  inci- 


12     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST. 

dentally  get  acquainted  with  Captain  Bill  Broom, 
who  is  to  occupy  such  a  prominent  place  in  this 
narrative. 

He  is  well  worth  meeting,  not  only  as  the  opponent 
of  our  old  friend,  Jim  Darlington,  but  because  of 
his  own  unworthy  but  interesting  character.  In 
those  days  Skipper  Bill  Broom  was  known  all  up 
and  down  the  coast  and  beyond.  His  fame,  such 
as  it  was,  comes  down  even  to  this  recent  day. 

On  deck  it  is  muffling  dark,  with  the  stars 
obscured  in  some  dim  way  by  mist  or  fog.  There 
is  a  breeze  blowing  steadily  from  the  broad  wastes 
of  the  ocean.  The  bulk  of  the  California  coast 
looms  dimly  on  the  port  bow.  Not  more  than  a 
half  mile  distant  can  be  seen  the  white  rushing 
forward  of  the  breakers  towards  the  rocky  coast. 

Dangerous  work  this,  navigating  the  Sea  Eagle 
through  the  thick  gloom  of  the  night  but  the  old 
man  knew  his  business.  He  was  on  the  bridge 
pacing  back  and  forth  like  some  strange  animal  and 
giving  hoarse  directions  to  the  man  at  the  wheel. 
He  knew  every  inch  of  that  coast,  the  sunken  reefs 
and  dangerous  rocks. 

"Starboard  your  helm,"  he  growled. 

The  sailor  spun  the  wheel  obediently.  And  the 
captain  resumed  his  pacing  back  and  forth  upon  the 
bridge.  Not  much  could  be  seen  of  him,  except 


CAPTAIN  BILL  BROOM  13 

that  he  was  a  powerful  man,  with  a  peculiar  crouch- 
ing stoop,  as  if  he  and  the  sea  were  engaged  in  a 
mysterious  game.  One  striving  to  get  a  dangerous 
death-hold  upon  the  other,  both  wary  and  using 
unceasing  watchfulness. 

There  was  a  strange  softness  in  Captain  Broom's 
tread  like  that  of  a  padding  panther,  but  his  arms 
had  the  loose  forward  powerful  swing  of  a  go- 
rilla's. Once  he  stepped  into  the  chart  house  to 
look  at  something  and  the  light  of  the  lamp  will 
give  us  a  square  look  at  him. 

"That  man  a  pirate!"  you  exclaim  at  the  first 
glance;  one  who  carried  the  blackest  name  along 
the  coast  as  a  smuggler  and  wrecker,  who  had 
brought  cargoes  of  wretched  slaves  from  Africa  in 
the  days  before  the  Civil  War  and  who  had  had 
more  marvelous  escapes  than  any  man  in  the  his- 
tory of  piracy  with  the  exception  of  Black  Jack 
Morgan !  Impossible ! 

"Why  that  man  is  nothing  but  an  old  farmer," 
you  exclaim  in  disappointment,  when  you  see  him. 
"He  ought  to  be  peddling  vegetables  on  market 
day."  But  just  wait. 

True,  Skipper  Broom  had  come  from  a  long  line 
of  New  England  farmers,  hard,  close-fisted,  close- 
mouthed  men.  Young  Broom  had  broken  away  from 
the  farm  and  followed  his  bent  for  sea-faring,  but 


14  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

to  the  end  of  his  days,  he  kept  his  farmerlike  ap- 
pearance and  he  affected  many  of  the  traits  of  the 
yeoman  which  he  found  to  be  on  more  than  one  oc- 
casion a  most  useful  disguise. 

Let's  look  at  him.  That  heavy  winter  cap  pulkd 
down  on  his  grizzled  head  gives  him  a  most  "Reu- 
ben" like  appearance.  Jeans  pants  are  thrust  into 
heavy  cowhide  boots.  The  deadly  gray  eyes  soft 
as  granite  have  become  red  rimmed  from  fits  of 
fury  and  hard  through  many  scenes  of  coldly  cal- 
culated cruelty.  A  most  dangerous  customer  and 
I  for  one,  and  I  ought  to  know,  consider  that  he 
will  have  the  better  of  Jim  Darlington  in  their  ap- 
proaching encounter — and  yet  Jim  is  never  beaten 
until  the  last  shot  is  fired  and  so  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  foretell  how  this  contest  of  wit  and  daring 
will  come  out. 

After  examining  his  chart  closely,  Captain  Broom 
crouched  out  through  the  door  and  on  to  the  deck. 
He  took  one  keen  look  towards  the  shore,  then  he 
approached  the  helmsman.  "Git  below,  Bill.  I'll 
fetch  her  in." 

The  helmsman  relinquished  the  wheel  gladly 
enough  and  under  the  Captain's  masterful  hand  the 
Sea  Eagle  swung  slowly  around  and  pointed 
in  towards  the  curving  shore. 

The  dark  form  of  the  mate  could  be  seen  on  the 


CAPTAIN  BILL  BROOM  15 

deck  below  waiting  for  the  order  that  he  knew  must 
come  soon.  The  crew  of  the  Sea  Eagle  though 
subordinate  enough  were  necessarily  partners  in 
Captain  Broom's  wicked  enterprises  so  that  the 
discipline  was  somewhat  different,  than  in  ordinary 
vessels. 

"Call  'em  up,  Mr.  Haffen,"  roared  the  skipper  to 
the  mate.  "It's  chore  time." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Haffen. 

The  watch  was  called  on  deck  and  the  dark  forms 
of  the  men  could  be  seen  in  the  bow.  The  pulsing 
of  the  Sea  Eagle  had  stopped  and  with  scarcely  a 
sound  the  anchor  was  dropped  into  the  water. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  COVE  AND  CAVE 

The  starboard  boat  was  lowered  into  the  water, 
First  the  mate,  then  Captain  Broom  and  two  men 
got  in.  The  latter  were  Cales  and  Pete  who  pulled 
noiselessly  at  the  oars.  The  boat  glided  quietly 
through  the  silent  darkness  towards  the  shore. 
The  Captain  was  seated  in  the  stern,  his  great  bulk 
crouched  forward,  but  there  was  nothing  inert  in 
his  posture.  His  big  hands  clasped  either  side  of 
the  craft. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  boat  grounded  softly  on 
the  sand  of  the  beach  and  all  hands  got  ashore. 
Scarcely  a  word  was  spoken,  though  the  cove  was 
so  hidden  that  there  seemed  to  be  no  possible  chance 
that  the  landing  of  the  free-booters  would  be  ob- 
served. However,  Captain  Bill  Broom  took  no 
risk  of  being  discovered.  He  had  many  enemies 
upon  the  coast  and  inland  as  well.  Besides,  the 
State  of  California  had  set  a  price  upon  his  head. 

Two  thousand  dollars  was  the  reward  for  his 
16 


THE  COVE  AND  THE  CAVE  17 

capture,  and  so  profitable  an  investment  was  apt  to 
be  realized  on  sooner  or  later  by  some  enterprising 
citizen.  So  Captain  Broom  took  due  care  when- 
ever he  went  abroad  not  to  attract  undue  attention. 

This  cove  was  a  favorite  lurking  place  of  his 
when  close  pressed,  where  he  would  take  refuge 
after  some  daring  adventure  upon  the  high  seas,  un- 
til such  a  time  as  the  hubbub  along  the  coast  had 
died  down.  Sometimes  he  lay  in  hiding  there,  with 
the  Sea  Eagle  screened  behind  the  encircling  cliffs, 
waiting  like  a  black  spider  to  rush  out  and  capture 
some  unsuspecting  craft. 

"Pick  her  up,  boys,"  said  the  Captain,  "y°u  know 
where  she  belongs,"  pointing  to  the  boat. 

Aye,  aye,  sir,"  they  replied,  and  putting  it  on 
their  shoulders  they  carried  the  boat  along  a  narrow 
path  that  divided  the  thick  undergrowth ;  until,  after 
going  several  hundred  yards,  they  reached  a  thick 
screen  of  brush  through  which  they  shoved,  and 
came  to  a  cave. 

Although  so  well  hidden,  the  entrance  to  the 
cavern  was  quite  high,  so  that  the  men  gained  ad- 
mission without  stooping,  and  going  a  short  dis- 
tance into  the  dark  interior,  they  placed  the  boat 
gently  down  against  the  wall.  There  was  a  constant 


i8     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

and  heavy  drip  of  water,  so  that  there  was  no 
chance  for  the  boat  to  warp,  as  it  would  have  surely 
done  if  placed  outside  in  the  dry  California  air. 

"I  don't  like  this  yere  .cave,"  remarked  Pete, 
when  left  alone  with  Cales. 

"What's  the  matter  with  it?  It's  dark  and  damp, 
but  that  is  the  nature  of  caves." 

"It  makes  me  feel  creepy,  that's  all,"  replied  Pete, 
"and  it  takes  considerable  to  do  that." 

"Whatever  happened?"  inquired  Cales,  grinning, 
something  terrible,  I  reckon,  to  make  your  thick 
hide  chilly." 

"It  were  before  your  time,"  replied  Pete  some- 
what reluctantly,  "we  raided  a  ranch  back  thar 
agin  the  mountings.  Senor  Sebastian  owned  it 
and  it  was  said  that  he  could  ride  all  day  and  never 
git  off  his  place,  and  that  he  had  more  sheep  and 
cattle  than  thar  is  folks  in  Frisco." 

"The  Captain  shanghied  him,  I  reckon,"  cut  in 
Cales. 

"You  hold  your  windlass,"  commanded  the  old 
man  in  a  querulous  tone,  "I'm  telling  this  yarn." 

"  All  right,  Pop,"  said  Cales  in  a  conciliating 
manner,  "have  it  yer  own  way."  He  was  really 
anxious  to  hear  the  story  the  old  man  had  referred 
to. 

"Young  fry  is  always  flapping,"  the  older  speaker 


THE  COVE  AND  THE  CAVE  19 

mumbled, — then  he  took  up  the  course  of  his  narra- 
tive. "Waal,  as  I  was  telling  ye,  this  Senor  had 
lots  of  money  and  the  Cap'n  being  short  of  funds 
thought  that  he  could  use  some  of  it.  So  one  night 
we  ran  into  the  cove,  it  was  blacker  even  than  this. 
I  don't  see  how  the  old  man  ever  got  the  craft  past 
the  sharks'  teeth  at  the  entrance  but  he  did." 

He  could  have  brought  her  in  with  his  eyes 
shut,"  declared  Cales.  "I  never  have  seen  his  equal 
for  navigating." 

"Waal,  we  made  camp  here  that  night,  and  the 
next  day,  the  Cap'n  with  some  of  the  gang,  left  for 
the  ranch  and  I  stayed  to  look  after  things.  Noth- 
ing happened  that  day,  and  I  was  dozing  by  the  fire 
about  midnight  when  I  heard  them  coming  back. 
They  had  the  Senor,  a  fine-looking  old  man  with  a 
gray  mustache  and  as  cold  and  proud-looking  as 
they  make  them. 

"The  Cap'n  was  furious  because  he  had  not  been 
able  to  lay  his  hand  on  the  coin,  and  he  swore  that 
he  would  make  the  old  Senor  tell  where  his  money 
was  or  there  would  be  trouble.  He  took  him  into 
this  cave  and  I  don't  know  what  happened  there, 
and  I  don't  want  to  know.  All  I'm  sure  of  is  that 
I  never  saw  him  come  out. 

"The  Cap'n  sent  me  to  the  ship  to  get  some 
chains  on  the  second  day  and  he  took  'em  into  the 


20     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

cave.  We  sailed  a  couple  of  days  later,  but  not  a 
sign  did  I  see  of  the  Senor.  That's  why  this  cave 
makes  me  creepy,  Cales." 

They,  were  standing  near  the  entrance,  when  there 
came  a  distinct  low  moan  from  the  interior.  It 
was  not  a  ghostly  sound,  either.  There  was  no 
mistaking  it. 

"Did  you  hear  that,  Cales?"  asked  old  Pete  in  a 
quavering  voice. 

"Yes,"  replied  Cales,  "I  heard  it  all  right.  It 
can't  be  the  Senor  ?" 

"No,"  replied  Pete.  "He  has  been  dead  these 
years." 

"Let's  find  out,"  said  his  comrade. 

"There's  nothing  in  this  world  could  make  me  go 
in  thar,"  declared  Pete  solemnly,  "besides,  it's  agin 
the  Captain's  orders. 

"Well,  I'm  going,"  said  Cales  either  more  brave 
or  less  experienced  than  the  other.  "It  sounds  to 
me  like  a  woman's  voice." 

"And  I'm  goin'  to  git,"  declared  old  Pete,  totter- 
ing towards  the  path. 

"You're  a  brave  old  pirate,"  said  Cales  contempt- 
uously, and  with  that  he  went  slowly  back  into  the 
cave.  He  had  to  go  cautiously,  for  beyond  a  cer- 
tain point  he  was  not  acquainted  with  the  in- 
terior. He  could  feel  the  moist  ground  under  foot 


THE  COVE  AND  THE  CAVE  21 

and  he  kept  'his  hand  stretched  out,  not  knowing 
what  he  might  run  against  in  the  dense  damp  dark- 
ness. 

Then,  suddenly,  his  hand  struck  a  stone  wall. 
Groping  his  way,  he  turned  a  sharp  corner  and  fol- 
lowed along  a  low  narrow  passageway  that  obliged 
him  to  stoop.  Then  came  the  sound  of  the  moan- 
ing just  ahead.  Jack  Cales  was  a  brave  man  but 
it  was  all  that  he  could  do,  to  keep  from  turning 
and  running  in  panic  for  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 
But  though  his  determination  had  received  a  severe 
shock,  it  did  not  turn  to  flight. 

He  saw  a  faint  light  ahead,  spreading  a  glow  at 
the  end  of  the  passage  as  he  came  nearer.  Then  he 
saw  something  that  held  him  stone  still  with  a 
clutch  of  weird  fear.  He  had  reached  the  end  of 
the  narrow  passage,  and  dimly  made  out  a  domed 
room  in  the  rock,  white  with  translucent  encrusta- 
tion. 

He  struck  a  match.  About  him,  before,  to  the 
right  and  to  the  left  he  could  see  forms  all  of 
ghostly  white,  some  crouching,  others  standing. 
Hardly  had  the  light  flared  up  than  it  sizzled  out. 
Some  drops  of  water  falling  from  the  roof  had  ex- 
tinguished the  blaze.  Then  was  repeated  that 
awful  sound  of  distress. 

Cales  groped  around  almost  in  a  frenzy  of  terror. 


Where  was  the  exit  from  that  awful  room  ?  Round 
and  round  he  went,  and  all  the  time  there  were 
strange  whisperings  in  his  ears,  and  unseen  hands 
seemed  to  clutch  his  clothes.  Once  he  slipped  and 
was  trembling  so  that  he  was  hardly  able  to  get  to 
his  feet.  Just  as  he  did  so,  something  swept  past 
him  like  a  breath  of  wind.  Rendered  desperate  he 
made  another  dash,  and  this  time  if  he  had  not 
found  a  passageway,  he  felt  that  he  could  have 
knocked  a  hole  through  the  wall.  Then  he  stood 
at  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  BARBED  WIRE 

Just  at  that  moment  was  heard  the  hoarse  voice 
of  Captain  Broom  booming  through  the  darkness 
outside. 

As  Cales  turned  about,  some  furry  animal  sprang 
past  him  dashing  between  his  legs  and  nearly  up- 
setting him. 

"On  deck,  you  scoundrel,  come  out  of  there," 
called  the  Captain. 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  came  the  reply  of  Cales  in  a 
strangely  weak  tone,  though  he  was  now  more  con- 
cerned by  the  possible  penalty  to  be  meted  out  by 
the  Captain  for  disobedience  of  orders,  than  by 
thought  of  the  undetermined  occupants  of  the  cave. 
If  it  were  a  cat  it  was  certainly  a  good  joke  on  old 
Pete.  This  was,  had  they  but  known  it,  the  swift 
solution  of  the  mystery. 

Oddly  enough  the  Captain  said  not  another  word, 

a  fact  suggestive  to  Cales  that  there  was  something 

amiss  in  the  cave  and  the  little  company  at  once 

took  up  their  line  of  march.     Captain  Broom  was 

23 


24  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

in  the  lead,  followed  by  the  mate,  then  Cales,  with 
old  Pete  bringing  up  the  rear.  Just  as  they  started 
Captain  Broom  extinguished  the  lantern  and  they 
took  up  the  trail  in  total  darkness.  Every  precau- 
tion would  now  be  necessary  for  they  would  soon 
be  in  a  region  where  the  very  name  of  Broom  was 
execrated  with  bitter  hatred,  and  every  bush  would 
grow  a  poniard  if  his  whereabouts  were  known. 

It  was  evident  that  the  skipper  was  as  good  a 
guide  on  land  as  he  was  a  pilot  at  sea,  for  he  led 
his  little  party  at  a  steady  gait  by  a  winding  cow- 
path  through  the  thick  undergrowth.  He  doubtless 
knew  this  region  thoroughly,  for  he  had  made 
more  than  one  raid  in  this  locality. 

It  was  soon  to  be  determined,  however,  that  they 
were  not  the  only  ones  abroad  that  night. 

They  had  walked  in  silence  for  some  time,  well 
on  to  two  hours,  when  they  came  to  an  open  space, 
with  the  irregular  form  of  a  live  oak  on  the  south- 
east corner.  Then  Captain  Broom  stopped  sud- 
denly, his  keen  eyesight  which  no  darkness  could 
baffle  had  discerned  some  object  moving  out  from 
the  shelter  of  the  oak  tree. 

It  came  slowly  with  uplifted  black  arms  and 
white  hair  falling  around  its  face.  There  was  a 
terrible  intensity  in  its  advance  across  the  open 


THE  BARBED  WIRE  25 

space,  withal  that  it  moved  so  slowly.  The  figure 
stopped  directly  in  front  of  Captain  Broom. 

"Get  out  of  my  way,  you  hag,"  he  roared,  but  for 
the  first  time  in  his  life  a  certain  tremor  crept  into 
his  voice.  Perhaps  he  was  growing  old.  He  drew 
back  his  arm  as  though  to  strike  the  woman  in  his 
path. 

As  he  did  so  Jack  Cales  stooped  and  picked  up  a 
round  rock  at  his  feet,  intending  to  hurl  it,  not  at 
the  woman  but  at  the  skipper,  for  he  alone  of  the 
party  divined  the  possible  cause  of  this  poor 
woman's  dementia.  But  his  interference  was  not 
necessary  for  it  seemed  as  though  the  Captain's 
arm  was  paralyzed.  He  declared  afterwards  that 
some  invisible  hand  had  seized  his  arm. 

Then,  in  a  loud,  wailing  voice  the  woman  put  a 
curse  upon  the  slayer  of  her  husband,  for  this  spec- 
tre was  none  other  than  the  Senora  Sebastian.  It 
was  terrible  to  hear  her  and  it  must  have  sent  a 
shiver  into  the  soul  of  the  hardy  skipper. 

When  she  had  finished,  the  woman  moved  past 
them  and  vanished  in  the  direction  of  the  ranch. 
For  a  full  minute  the  line  of  men  stood  without 
moving  a  step  and  in  absolute  silence,  Captain 
Broom  with  his  arm  upraised  as  he  had  lifted  it  to 
strike. 

Then,  without  saying  a  word,  he  took  the  first 


26  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

forward  step  and  the  others  followed  him  through 
the  darkness. 

"Say,  Cales,"  growled  Pete  in  a  low  voice,  "what 
was  it  you  found  in  that  cave  ?  My  old  timbers  are 
shaking  yet." 

"Keep  your  old  jaws  shut,"  yelled  the  Captain, 
who  had  wonderfully  keen  hearing,  when  anything 
was  spoken  that  concerned  him. 

"How  do  you  suppose  the  old  man  heard  me?" 
mumbled  Pete  to  himself.  He  dropped  back  a  pace 
or  two,  then  whispered,  "The  old  man  must  be  crazy. 
He  is  making  direct  for  the  Sebastian  ranch." 

"Do  you  reckon  that  these  four  boys  he  is  look- 
ing after,  are  located  there  ?"  asked  Jack. 

"I  dunno,"  replied  Pete,  "you  can  calkerlate  on 
one  thing  though  and  that  is  that  the  skipper  knows 
pretty  nigh  where  those  lads  are.  One  of  his  mes- 
sengers, a  one-eyed,  twisted  greaser,  came  aboard 
the  other  day,  and  was  gabbling  in  the  Captain's 
cabin.  Then  the  next  thing  I  knew  we  was  under 
sail,  and  came  kiting  down  to  the  cove." 

Just  then  the  party  halted  at  the  confines  of  a  four 
strand  barbed  wire  fence.  This  was  the  first  indica- 
tion that  they  were  entering  the  great  ranch  prop- 
erty that  formerly  belonged  to  the  Senor  Sebas- 
tian, the  elderly  man  the  Captain  had  made  captive, 
and  which  was  now  the  property  of  his  only  son. 


THE  BARBED  WIRE  27 

"Now,  lads,"  said  the  leader  of  the  expedition, 
"Here's  a  chance  to  make  yourself  small.  This  yere 
barb  is  like  a  devil  fish  if  it  once  gits  a  holt  of  your 
panties — it  won't  let  go." 

"That's  so,  Captain,"  said  the  mate,  a  generally 
silent  and  saturnine  man. 

"I  reckon  you  know,  mate,"  said  the  Captain. 
"The  last  time  we  was  through  these  parts,  and  that 
some  considerable  years  ago,  this  same  fence  got 
a  holt  of  yer  pants  and  wouldn't  let  go.  I  never 
heard  you  talk  so  much  and  so  earnestly  in  my  life 
before.  You  want  to  be  more  keerful  this  time." 

The  mate  simply  grunted  by  way  of  reply  and, 
lying  close  to  the  ground,  he  very  gingerly  and 
carefully  worked  his  way  under  the  wire  and  thus 
escaped  his  mentioned  former  unpleasant  detention. 
He  then  held  the  lower  wire  up  as  high  as  he 
could  until  his  chief  had  wiggled  under. 

Pete  was  the  only  one  of  the  party  who  was  seri- 
ously detained,  for  Jack  Cales  had  slid  under  as 
slick  as  an  eel.  But  Pete's  joints  were  old  and 
rusty  and  the  venomous  wire  got  a  clutch  on  his 
coat  and  his  pants. 

"What's  keeping  you  back?"  inquired  the  Cap- 
tain, gruffly,  as  Cales  and  his  comrade  did  not  put 
in  an  immediate  appearance. 

"Pete  has  got  caught,  sir,"  said  Jack. 


28     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"What  are  you  doing  there,  you  old  barnacle?" 
inquired  the  Captain  as  he  came  back  to  the  fence. 

There  was  a  certain  odd  comradeship  between  the 
skipper  and  the  old  salt  who  had  been  with  him 
sine*  his  African  days.  Both  were  New  Eng- 
landers  and  had  come  from  neighboring  homesteads. 

"Just  resting,  sir,"  replied  the  captive. 

It  certainly  did  have  something  of  that  appear- 
ance, for  Pete  had  kept  a  decisive  grip  on  his  old 
black  pipe  with  his  stubby  teeth  and  was  puffing  at 
it  in  apparent  peace  and  resignation. 

"Want  me  to  git  you  a  piller?"  inquired  the 
skipper,  sarcastically. 

"Thank  ye,  sir,"  replied  Pete  imperturbably. 

Meanwhile  the  mate  had  been  at  work  with  deft 
fingers  and  he  finally  succeeded  in  extricating  the 
old  man  and  putting  him  upon  his  pins. 

"Now  if  ye  are  sufficiently  rested,"  proposed  the 
skipper,  "we  will  hike  along." 

This  they  did.  Their  way  now  lay  between  two 
stretches  of  fence  that  enclosed  a  road  not  much 
traveled  for  there  were  only  faint  traces  of  wheels 
in  the  turf.  It  was  probably  not  a  public  highway 
but  belonged  to  the  great  ranch. 

Everything  seemed  smooth  sailing  now,  as  there 
was  no  more  barbed  wire  to  be  immediately  met  but 
Pete  soon  made  himself  prominent  again.  He  was 


THE  BARBED  WIRE  29 

rolling  along  with  that  gait  peculiar  to  a  sailor  when 
aboard  land,  when  he  gave  a  sudden  spring  and 
clutched  Cales  convulsively  in  the  back,  giving  that 
individual  a  big  scare. 

"Dad  burn  it,  boys.  I've  stepped  on  a  rattler." 
An  investigation  was  made  very  carefully  and  Cap- 
tain Broom  quickly  picked  up  a  short  piece  of  rope. 

"I'll  rattle  you,"  he  cried,  touching  up  the  old 
man  with  the  rope's  end. 


CHAPTER  IV 
PETE'S  YARN 

They  went  along  steadily  through  the  darkness 
in  an  almost  directly  easterly  direction.  Being  now 
clear  of  the  brush  they  could  make  good  time  on  the 
springy  turf. 

"How  far  are  we  now  from  the  ranch,  Pete  ?"  in- 
quired Jack. 

"Too  durn  close  to  suit  me,"  replied  Pete.  "I 
can't  tell  exactly  for  these  ranches  are  as  big  as  all 
outside  creation,  but  I  guess  we  must  be  as  close  as 
a  mile  to  the  buildings." 

"I  reckon  the  Captain  is  going  to  walk  up  to  the 
front  door  and  ask  for  accommodations." 

"Wouldn't  s'prise  me  a  bit,  if  he  done  that,"  re- 
plied Pete  querulously.  "The  old  man  ain't  lacking 
in  nerve.  Back  thar  was  the  first  time  I  ever  seen 
him  hang  back  in  my  long  experience  with  him." 

"When  the   old  lady  was   speaking  her  piece? 
Suppose  I  ask  him  how  much  he  made  when  he 
captured  the  Senor,"  suggested  Cales,  who  had  re- 
covered his  flippant  humor. 
30 


PETE'S  YARN  31 

"I  wouldn't  git  gay,  lad,"  said  old  Pete,  warn- 
ingly.  "She  is  just  as  liable  to  haunt  you  in  your 
black  spells." 

"Don't  have  'em,  uncle,"  replied  Cales. 

"You  collect  the  material  for  'em  when  you  are 
young,"  said  the  old  man  wisely,  "and  they  come 
out  of  your  bones  like  rheumatiz  when  you  git  old." 

"Somebody  is  coming  back  of  us,"  suddenly  whis- 
pered Cales. 

"Take  to  cover,  lads,"  ordered  the  skipper,  who 
was  as  quick  to  hear  as  the  younger  man.  The  only 
cover  was  a  high  and  thick  growth  of  wild  mustard 
growing  alongside  the  fences. 

Quickly  they  stepped  from  the  open  road  into  the 
shelter  of  the  tall  mustard.  They  had  not  long  to 
wait.  There  was  the  jingle  of  spurs  and  the  thud 
of  horses'  feet  walking  slowly  along.  Next  came 
the  voices  of  men  talking. 

"It  is  useless,  Senor,  to  try  and  find  her,  I  fear," 
replied  one  man  to  the  other. 

"It  seems  so,"  replied  the  other  sadly.  "My 
mother  always  seems  to  be  worse  when  the  time  of 
the  year  approaches  that  my  father  disappeared. 
In  spite  of  all  our  care  she  will  escape." 

They  had  now  arrived  at  a  point  opposite  where 
the  free-booters  were  hidden.  The  man  who  had 
last  spoken  struck  a  light  and  lit  a  cigarette;  the 


32     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

instantaneous  glare  showed  the  dark  handsome  face 
of  the  Spanish  type.  There  was  the  high-peaked 
sombrero,  the  striking  clothes,  the  intent  face  and 
then  the  light  died  suddenly  out. 

"Ah,  Manuel,"  said  the  young  man  to  his  com- 
panion, "if  I  could  only  once  lay  hands  on  that 
cursed  Gringo,"  and  he  ground  his  teeth  in  fury, 
unable  to  express  himself. 

"Humph,  Gringo,"  grunted  the  Captain,  disdain- 
fully. 

"Did  you  hear  anything,  Senor?"  asked  Manuel. 

"Nothing." 

"I  was  sure  I  heard  something,"  asserted  his 
companion.  They  had  reined  in  their  horses  and 
sat  listening  quietly  for  a  few  seconds. 

"It  was  probably  nothing  but  a  calf  by  the  road- 
side," said  the  Senor. 

The  other  shook  his  head  doubtfully,  then  they 
turned  and  rode  on  towards  the  rancho. 

When  they  were  safely  out  of  range,  the  party 
of  pirates  took  up  their  line  of  march  once  more. 

"So  the  greaser  took  me  for  a  calf,"  remarked 
Captain  Broom.  "If  it  had  been  you,  Jack  Cales, 
there  might  be  some  excuse  fer  such  a  mistake." 

"Aye,  sir,"  replied  Cales,  glumly. 

"Getting  kind  of  close  to  the  ranch,  ain't  you, 
Cap'n  ?"  ventured  old  Pete. 


PETE'S  YARN  33 

"I  thought  of  leaving  you  there,  Pete,  while  the 
rest  of  us  corralled  those  kids.  You  are  getting  too 
old  for  these  long  tramps." 

No  more  remarks  were  heard  coming  from  the 
direction  of  Pete,  for  he  was  not  at  all  sure  but 
that  the  Captain  might,  in  a  moment  of  irre- 
sponsible humor,  do  just  as  he  threatened  without 
regard  to  the  consequences. 

After  they  had  gone  on  for  a  mile  from  the 
point  where  the  two  men  had  overtaken  them,  Cap- 
tain Broom  led  his  party  away  from  the  road  in  a 
southerly  direction,  once  more  undergoing  the  har- 
rowing experience  of  getting  through  the  barbed 
wire  fence.  But  this  time  Jack  Cales  was  especially 
detailed  by  the  Captain  to  get  old  Pete  through  so 
there  would  not  be  any  unnecessary  delay. 

It  was  evident  that  they  were  getting  into  a  differ- 
ent section,  a  short  time  after  they  left  the  road,  for 
they  began  going  up  and  winding  among  little 
rocky  hills.  At  last  they  came  to  a  stopping  place. 
They  climbed  up  an  elevation  and  sat  on  some  rocks 
among  a  group  of  dark  trees. 

"Now,  lads,  take  it  easy,"  said  the  Captain,  "ye 
have  had  quite  a  footin'  and  when  morning  comes, 
there  will  be  some  more  ahead  and  at  a  faster  gait." 

"Gosh,  Cap'n,"  declared  old  Pete,  "It's  the  most 
walking  we've  done  together  since  the  time  we  cor- 


34     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

railed  the  last  bunch  of  niggers  on  the  west  coast  of 
Africa." 

"We  certainly  made  money  that  trip  when  we  sold 
that  cargo  of  coons  to  the  traders  on  that  Palmetto 
Island  below  Charleston.  But  we  will  clean  up 
about  as  much  money  when  we  round  up  those  four 
boys  and  twice  as  easy.  Tell  the  two  lads  about 
that  trip,  Pete." 

The  old  sailor  sat  on  a  rock,  and  taking  out  his 
bag  of  tobacco  filled  his  short  black  pipe  with  one 
thorny  thumb,  then  he  commenced  his  narrative, 
with  the  glow  of  his  pipe  lighting  up  his  weather- 
beaten  face. 

"Well,  orders  is  orders,  and  the  Cap'n  wants  me 
to  tell  this  yarn.  I  might  just  as  well  begin  it, 
lads.  I  never  knew  any  good  to  come  to  sailormen 
cruising  around  on  dry  land  any  more  than  on  this 
trip."  He  cast  a  wary  eye  at  Captain  Broom,  but 
that  worthy  merely  grunted  and  Pete  resumed  his 
story. 

"Our  clipper  lay  at  anchor  in  a  wide  bay  with 
only  a  couple  of  men  on  board  and  the  Captain, 
myself  and  six  men  trailing  inland  for  to  find  a 
village  of  naygurs  that  our  guides  had  told  us  of. 

"It  certainly  was  hot  and  steamy  going  through 
the  jungles  and  every  once  in  a  while  a  big  snake  as 
large  as  my  leg  would  crawl  across  our  path  and 


PETE'S  YARN  35 

rustle  away  into  the  undergrowth.  Once  I  felt  one 
of  'em  a-twistirig  and  rolling  under  my  foot  like  a 
big  log  that  had  came  to  life.  I  guess  I  must  have 
jumped  twice  as  high  as  my  own  head  and  I  lit  on 
the  back  of  one  of  the  naygurs  that  was  guiding  us. 

"He  didn't  know  what  struck  him;  probably 
thought  it  was  a  tiger  for  I  sunk  my  hooks  into  his 
hide.  He  let  out  a  yell  and  went  ripping  and  snort- 
ing through  that  jungle  and  me  not  having  sense 
enough  to  let  go,  until  a  grape  vine  about  as  thick 
as  a  manilla  rope  chucked  me  under  the  chin  and  I 
fell  flat  on  my  back  and  I  guess  that  naygur  is  still 
running." 

Here  the  captain  who  was  evidently  enjoying  the 
narrative  hugely,  burst  into  a  volcanic  roar  of 
laughter. 

"I  can  see  yer  yet,  Pete,  on  that  bounding  buck 
of  a  nigger,  and  him  a-hiking  through  the  jungle 
and  a-yelling  like  a  wild  Injun." 

"I  remember  you  got  out  of  the  way  mighty 
quick,"  said  Pete,  "when  you  heard  us  a-coming  be- 
hind you." 

"It  certainly  was  a  curious  spectacle,"  said  the 
Captain,  "but  go  on  with  your  yarn,  Pete." 

"The  further  we  went  into  the  jungle  the  worse 
it  got.  The  mosquitoes  fairly  ate  us  alive  and  they 
wern't  the  only  cannibals  in  those  woods  by  any 


36     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

means.  There  was  a  tribe  of  man-eaters  beyond  the 
Big  River  and  we  didn't  try  to  capture  any  of  them. 
They  wern't  our  stripe  of  bacon. 

"We  went  on  for  six  days,  with  the  monkeys  chat- 
tering over  our  heads  all  day  and  the  mosquitoes 
serenading  us  at  night.  Talk  about  birds,  there 
was  a  whole  menagerie  of  them  and  their  colors 
beat  the  handkerchiefs  that  these  greasers  wear 
around  their  throats  and  you  can't  get  ahead  of  that 
for  color. 

"One  night  we  got  in  range  of  the  village  we 
were  after  and  there  was  a  great  pow-wow  going 
on.  There  was  a  big  fire  in  the  circle  of  the  grass 
huts  and  some  big  black  bucks  were  doing  a  dance 
around  it.  Just  then  I  saw — " 

"Hold  on,  Pete,"  said  the  Captain  in  a  low,  gruff 
voice,  "somebody  is  coming  our  way." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  FOUR  BOYS 

"Hey,  Jim,  where  are  we  going  to  make  camp?" 
It  was  his  brother  Jo's  genial  voice. 

"Not  until  we  can  strike  water,"  replied  Jim. 
"No  more  dry  camps  for  me." 

"I  don't  think  much  of  the  coast  range,  or  the 
Sierras,  either."  It  was  Juarez  Hoskins'  well-re- 
membered voice,  with  its  rather  low,  deep  tones. 

"Give  me  the  Rockies  every  time." 

Juarez  was  nothing  if  not  loyal  to  his  mountains. 

"I  don't  think  any  of  the  mountains  are  much  to 
brag  of." 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  it  is  Tom  Dar- 
lington who  is  now  speaking,  for  the  discerning 
reader  is  pretty  well  acquainted  with  his  style  by 
this  time. 

"There's  always  something  to  look  out  for,"  con- 
tinued Tom,  "if  it  isn't  Indians  it's  rattlesnakes, 
and  you  have  got  to  choose  between  a  cloudburst  or 
no  water  at  all.  Give  me  the  East  every  time." 

"You  make  me  exhausted  talking  about  the 
37 


38     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

East,"  said  Jim.  "Why  didn't  you  stay  there  when 
you  were  there?  I  had  just  as  soon  take  a  chance 
with  a  rattlesnake  as  with  an  ice  cream  soda." 

"Tom  would  like  to  play  Indian,"  cut  in  Jo, 
"with  turkey  feathers  sticking  up  from  a  red  flannel 
band  around  his  head.  And  creeping  upon  a  flock 
of  sheep  pretending  that  they  are  antelope  and  that 
cows  are  real  live  bears." 

"Yes,"  said  Jim,  "you  have  lined  it  out  all  right, 
Jo.  Then  when  they  were  tired  of  playing  Injun, 
Tom  and  his  little  playmates  could  pretend  that 
they  were  Daniel  Boone's  men  with  wildskin  panties 
on." 

"Shut  up,  boys,"  said  Juarez,  coming  to  Tom's 
rescue.  "What's  the  use  in  rubbing  it  in?  The 
East  is  all  right  for  some  folks  and  if  the  boys  back 
there  can't  have  real  adventures  they  have  to  do  the 
best  they  can.  After  all,  Jim,  you  are  an  Eastern 
boy.  You  can't  get  away  from  that."  Jim  writhed 
under  the  implication  but  replied  good  humoredly. 

"You're  right,  Juarez,  old  chap,  but  I  can't  help 
stirring  up  Tom  once  in  a  while.  It  is  good  for  him 
too.  It  keeps  his  liver  active,  so  he  won't  get 
bilious." 

"Juarez  has  got  more  sense  than  you  two  put  to- 
gether," said  Tom. 

"Forget  all  about  it  now,  Tommy,"  urged  Juarez 


THE  FOUR  BOYS  39 

good-naturedly,  getting  the  aforesaid  Tommy  by 
the  nape  of  the  neck  with  one  vigorous  brown  hand 
and  giving  him  a  shake. 

Thus  under  Juarez's  straightforward  manage- 
ment the  family  quarrel  was  abated. 

"We  might  just  as  well  ride  now,  boys,"  said 
Jim.  "The  horses  are  good  and  rested  and  we  will 
soon  be  going  down  grade  instead  of  up." 

The  horses  had  been  following  in  single  file  back 
of  the  four  boys.  They  were  to  be  trusted  not  to 
cut  up  any  shindigs  or  to  wander  from  the  narrow 
mountain  trail.  The  boys  had  had  them  a  long  time 
and  together  they  had  gone  through  the  numerous 
hardships  and  adventures.  They  were  as  perfectly 
trained  as  Uncle  Sam's  cavalry  horses. 

The  horses  halted  as  the  boys  dropped  back  to 
their  sides,  and  they  swung  into  the  saddle  simul- 
taneously. Jim  rode  in  the  lead  on  a  splendid  gray, 
with  a  powerful  arching  neck,  strong  shoulders  and 
hindquarters  made  for  speed.  Him,  he  called 
Caliente.  Next  rode  Tom  on  a  pretty  bay.  Then 
Jo  on  a  black  of  medium  size  but  finely  built  for 
speed  and  endurance.  Juarez  brought  up  the  rear 
on  his  roan,  a  sinewy  animal  with  a  broncho  strain 
in  him  which  was  liable  to  crop  out  at  unexpected 
moments. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  that  there  was  a  certain  forma- 


40     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

tion  in  the  way  the  column  rode.  Jim,  the  strong  and 
resourceful  in  front,  and  Tom,  the  less  experienced 
and  capable,  following,  forming  the  first  division. 
The  second  division  was  composed  of  Jo  and  Juarez. 

Juarez  having  an  equally  important  position  with 
the  leader,  for  he  was  rear  guard,  a  more  trying 
position  sometimes  than  being  in  front  for  in  their 
travels  through  dangerous  regions,  it  was  the  man 
in  the  rear  who  was  more  apt  to  be  cut  off  by  the 
wily  Indians.  But  the  cool  and  crafty  Juarez  was 
not  likely  to  be  caught  napping. 

Even  now  you  notice  as  they  ride  along  through 
the  comparatively  safe  region  of  the  coast  range 
that  Jim  and  Juarez  are  ever  on  the  alert,  glancing 
this  way  and  that,  halting  to  examine  some  peculiar 
mark  on  the  trail,  and  not  a  motion  of  tree  or 
bush  upon  either  mountain  slope  escapes  their 
attention.  They  had  lived  too  long  in  the  midst 
of  treacherous  enemies,  Indians  and  outlaws,  to  be 
taken  off  their  guard.  They  had  been  in  Mexico 
on  a  venture  the  outcome  of  which  was  all  their 
fondest  dreams  could  wish  for.  Their  expedition 
over,  Tom  was  for  going  home,  to  at  least  deposit 
the  treasure  they  had  gained,  but  the  others  had 
outvoted  him,  and  now  the  long  pleasure  trip  to 
Hawaii  was  their  object. 

Now,  if  they  but  had  known  it,  they  were  riding 


THE  FOUR  BOYS  41 

to  meet  the  most  deadly  danger  that  they  had  yet 
encountered.  For  as  you  know,  Captain  Broom 
and  his  party  were  advancing  to  meet  them.  In  an 
open  or  running  fight,  we  know  perfectly  well  that 
the  boys  could  take  care  of  themselves,  but  in  the 
skipper  of  the  Sea  Eagle,  they  were  to  meet  a  far 
more  dangerous  opponent  than  in  Eagle  Feather, 
described  in  "The  Frontier  Boys  in  Colorado"  or 
Cal  Jenkins  in  Kansas  and  in  Mexico  as  detailed  in 
"Overland  Trail"  and  in  "Mexico."  In  compliance 
with  a  determined  plan,  they  were  now  on  their  way 
to  Hawaii. 

Not  only  had  Captain  Broom  the  craftiness  and 
cruelty  of  the  Indian,  but  the  cool,  hard  judgment 
of  the  New  England  Yankee,  coupled  with  a  knowl- 
edge of  their  possessions,  supposedly  limited  to 
themselves  alone.  The  Mexican  spy,  who  had  re- 
ported the  route  the  boys  were  going  to  take,  had 
given  the  game  into  his  master's  hands. 

"I  wonder  what  has  become  of  our  one-eyed 
greaser  friend,"  said  Jim,  "we  haven't  seen  any 
sign  of  him  since  he  gave  us  the  shake  a  week  ago 
at  the  hunting  camp.  I  kind  of  thought  we  might 
run  across  him  again." 

"It's  good  riddance  to  bad  rubbish,"  said  Juarez 
in  a  surly  tone.  "If  I  had  my  way  I'd  hang  him  to 
the  first  oak  tree  on  general  principles  and  on  ac- 


42      FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

count  of  his  personal  appearance.  I  bet  he  is  a 
treacherous  little  rat." 

"He  isn't  very  pretty,  that's  a  fact,"  admitted  Jim, 
"but  he  is  a  useful  little  beast  about  the  camp  and 
can  do  a  lot  of  chores." 

"I  kind  of  like  to  hear  him  play  his  guitar,"  put 
in  Jo,  "and  sing  those  Mexican  tunes.  They  cer- 
tainly sound  pretty." 

"He's  a  picturesque  beggar  too,"  remarked  Tom. 
"Just  the  kind  that  in  the  old  days  would  have  been 
made  a  king's  jester.  They  dressed  'em  up  in  a 
blazing  bright  style  then.  That  hump  would  have 
made  his  fortune." 

Tom,  as  you  remember,  was  an  authority  on 
Romance,  and  as  pertaining  to  which  he  always 
carried  two  favorite  volumes,  much  worn  by  hard 
travel  and  frequent  usage,  but  which  no  amount  of 
ridicule  by  his  brothers  could  make  him  give  up. 

"Have  it  your  own  way,"  acceded  Juarez,  "but 
he  is  not  the  sort  of  animal  that  I  would  recommend 
for  a  household  pet." 

"Well,  he  is  gone,"  said  Jim,  "so  we  don't  need 
to  worry  about  him." 

"I  don't  know  but  that  I  would  a  little  rather  have 
him  in  sight,"  said  Juarez.  "Then  you  know  where 
he  is." 

Jim  laughed  good-naturedly  at  the  prejudice  that 


THE  FOUR  BOYS  43 

Juarez  showed  against  the  little  greaser  and  put  it 
down  to  his  darkly  suspicious  nature  acquired  by  his 
life  among  the  Indians.  It  would  have  been  better 
if  Jim  had  taken  more  stock  in  his  comrade's  sus- 
picions. Now,  Jim  was  not  to  be  caught  napping 
when  once  an  enemy  had  declared  himself,  but  it 
was  his  nature  to  be  open-minded  and  unsuspicious. 

The  four  Frontier  Boys  were  riding  up  a  winding 
trail  through  a  narrow  mountain  valley,  having 
reached  a  point  almost  level  with  the  summits, 
which  rose  several  thousand  feet  above  the  eastern 
plain.  It  had  been  a  hard,  all  day  climb,  and  the 
horses  were  tired  and  the  gray  dust  was  caked  upon 
their  sweaty  riders. 

Let  us  take  a  look  at  our  old  acquaintances,  Jim, 
Tom,  Jo  and  Juarez,  to  see  if  they  have  changed 
any  since  we  saw  them  last.  They  are  dressed 
about  as  we  have  always  known  them.  In  gray 
flannel  shirts  and  pants  of  the  same  color,  moccasins 
on  their  feet  and  on  their  heads  battered  sombreros 
with  the  flaps  turned  back. 

Their  coats  are  tied  back  of  the  saddles,  and  their 
shirts  open  at  the  throat  for  the  air  is  hot  and  dry 
in  that  California  mountain  valley.  Their  rifles  are 
swung  across  their  shoulders  held  by  straps,  re- 
volvers in  the  holsters  at  their  hips. 

Jim  sits  in  the  saddle  tall  and  sinewy,  grown 


44     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

somewhat  thinner  by  constant  exercise  and  by  the 
drying  effect  of  the  desert  air.  His  skin  is  baked 
to  an  absolute  brown.  Juarez,  too,  is  black  as  an 
Indian  and  he  rather  looks  like  one  with  his  hair 
quite  long  and  of  a  coarse  black  fibre.  The  boys 
look  a  little  fine-drawn  but  sinewy  and  strong  and 
#s  for  any  adventure. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE   HUNCHBACK 

The  shadows  were  already  falling  on  that  side  of 
the  range  as  the  boys  rode  slowly  into  a  narrow 
pass.  The  shade  was  a  decided  relief  from  the 
glare  of  the  California  sun  that  they  had  encoun- 
tered all  day. 

"Gosh,  but  I  should  like  to  have  a  cool  breath 
from  the  Rockies,"  declared  Juarez  with  emphasis, 
"This  sort  of  a  climate  makes  me  tired.  Nothing 
but  the  sun  staring  at  you  all  the  time.  It  goes 
down  clear  and  comes  up  with  the  same  kind  of  a 
grin  on  its  face." 

"It  will  be  cooler  when  we  get  on  the  other  side," 
said  Jim,  encouragingly,  "and  it  won't  be  long 
now." 

"I  hope  we  will  strike  water  on  the  other  side," 
remarked  Jo.  "I'm  tired  of  looking  at  that  bald- 
headed  stream  down  there,"  indicating  the  dry 
blistered  bed  of  a  former  water-course. 

Nothing  more  was  said  until  of  a  sudden  they 
45 


46  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

rode  to  the  top  of  the  Pass,  and  saw  a  new  land- 
scape spread  out  before  them. 

It  was  a  broad  and  beautiful  view,  with  the  sun, 
striking  the  wide  Pacific,  with  a  blazing  glare  of 
silver  and  below  the  wooded  slope  of  the  mountains, 
stretched  an  apparently  level  plain,  where  roamed 
countless  cattle,  and  innumerable  sheep.  It  had  all 
the  breadth  characteristic  of  the  Californian  land- 
scape. 

"That's  a  pretty  good  looking  view,"  remarked 
Jim  admiringly.  He  would  have  been  still  more  in- 
terested if  he  could  have  seen  a  trim-looking  black 
vessel  in  a  small  cove  directly  west  but  a  good  many 
miles  distant. 

"I  wonder  if  it  isn't  going  to  rain,"  said  Tom. 
"See  those  clouds  rolling  in  over  the  ocean." 

"Rain!"  ejaculated  Jim  with  superior  wisdom, 
a  wisdom  that  appertains  particularly  to  older 
brothers,  "I  guess  not.  Those  are  fog  clouds. 
That's  a  sure  sign  in  this  country  that  it  won't 
rain." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  to  see  them,  anyway,"  said 
Juarez.  "It  looks  sort  of  stormy  even  if  it  isn't." 

It  was  restful,  there  was  no  question  about  that, 
the  change  from  the  constant  glare  of  a  white  sun 
in  a  blue  sky,  to  the  soft  damp  grayness  of  the  fog. 
It  was  already  rolling  over  the  level  plain  towards 


THE  HUNCHBACK  47 

the  mountains  and,  in  a  short  time,  a  high  fog  was 
spread  over  the  whole  sky. 

The  boys  had  ridden  down  the  western  side  of 
the  range  for  a  distance  of  a  half  mile,  when  Jim 
suddenly  waved  his  hand  backward  in  a  sign  of  cau- 
tion for  the  column  to  halt.  He  leaned  forward, 
looking  intently  in  a  northwesterly  direction  to  a 
point  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  mountain  valley. 
Juarez  followed  the  direction  of  the  leader's  look 
with  a  keen  gaze. 

"I  was  sure  that  I  saw  some  one  slipping  through 
the  undergrowth  on  the  opposite  side  over  there," 
Jim  finally  said,  "but  I  could  not  make  sure  whether 
it  was  a  man  or  some  sort  of  animal." 

"I  noticed  the  bushes  shaking,"  said  Juarez,  "but 
I  did  not  see  anything." 

"Might  have  been  a  brown  bear,"  hazarded  Jo. 

"They  do  have  them  in  this  range,"  put  in  Tom. 

"Perhaps  it  is  the  bear  that  we  hunted  for  two 
days  on  the  other  slope,"  said  Juarez,  "and  he  has 
come  to  give  himself  up," 

"We  had  better  keep  our  eyes  open,"  advised 
Jim,  though  he  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  unsling 
his  rifle.  "Jo,  you  and  Tom  watch  the  upper  side, 
Juarez  will  take  care  of  the  trail  in  front." 

"All  right,  boss,"  said  Juarez,  cheerfully. 


48   FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"How  much  reward,  captain,  for  the  first  glimpse 
of  the  lost  child  ?"  inquired  Jo. 

Jim  paid  no  attention  to  this  sally,  but  kept  his 
eye  on  the  trail  ahead.  The  trees  were  quite  thick 
on  either  side  of  the  trail  and  as  dusk  was  coming 
on,  it  was  difficult  to  make  out  any  object  clearly. 

Just  as  Jim  rode  around  a  turn  in  the  trail, 
Caliente  reared  and  leaped  to  one  side  and  a  less 
skillful  rider  would  have  been  thrown. 

"Easy,  old  boy,"  said  the  rider,  patting  his  horse's 
neck.  Caliente  stood  trembling  and  snorting  and 
watching  a  curious  object  that  was  struggling  up 
the  bank  towards  the  trail. 

It  was  hard  to  tell  what  it  was,  whether  man  or 
beast  and  the  dusk  only  served  to  make  it  more  ob- 
scure. Then  the  object  scrambled  up  on  to  the 
trail  and  Jim  at  once  recognized  the  dwarf  Mexi- 
can with  his  high-crowned  sombrero  and  his  velvet 
suit  richly  slashed.  With  his  crooked  back  and  one 
eye,  he  was  anything  but  a  prepossessing-looking 
creature.  Caliente,  when  he,  too,  recognized  who 
it  was,  put  back  his  ears  and  rushed  with  bared 
teeth  for  the  Mexican. 

Spitting  out  a  curse,  the  greaser  jumped  to  one 
side  with  a  marked  agility,  and  Jim  succeeded  after 
a  struggle  in  bringing  his  furious  steed  to  terms, 


THE  HUNCHBACK  49 

but  he  had  his  hands  full  and  there  were  not  very 
many  men  who  could  manage  Caliente  when  he  got 
into  one  of  his  rages. 

"Hi!  Manuel,"  (every  Mexican  was  Manuel  to 
the  boys),  cried  Jim,  "look  out  for  my  Tiger,  he 
wants  to  eat  that  velvet  suit  of  yours." 

"Si,  Senor,"  called  Manuel  from  a  safe  station 
on  a  granite  rock.  "He  is  a  tiger  as  your  Honor 
says." 

One  would  have  expected  to  hear  the  crooked 
little  greaser  speak  in  a  harsh  croaking  voice,  but 
instead  it  had  a  rich  sonorous  quality. 

"Do  you  know  where  there  is  any  water  in  this 
country?"  asked  Jo.  "We  are  as  dry  as  a  desert." 

"Certainly,  Senor,  I  will  show  you,"  replied 
Manuel.  (It  was  true  that  Manuel  spoke  in  Span- 
ish of  which  language  the  boys  had  a  working 
knowledge,  due  to  their  sojouin  in  the  southwest. 
But  I  shall  put  his  words  in  English.)  "Where  is. 
Senor  Juarez  ?"  inquired  the  dwarf.  "I  do  not  see 
him." 

The  Senor  is  still  with  us,"  replied  Jim,  gravely, 
"but  you  cannot  see  him  on  account  of  the  dusk, 
but  you  might  hear  him,"  he  added  in  a  lower 
tone. 

It  was  true  that  Juarez  was  growling  to  hims^LP 
about  me  greaser  lor  wnom  you  Know  nc  naa  a  cor- 


50  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

dial  antipathy,  a  feeling  which  was  reciprocated  by 
the  Mexican. 

"Lead  on,  Manuel,"  urged  Jim,  "we  want  to 
make  camp  before  morning." 

"But,  Senor,  the  tiger  will  eat  me  up,"  objected 
the  Mexican. 

"I  will  take  care  of  Caliente.  He  won't  bite  you. 
Go  ahead." 

"Si,  Senor,"  assented  Manuel. 

Then  he  jumped  down  from  the  rock  and  took 
the  trail  at  a  discreet  distance  ahead  of  Jim's 
horse,  who  was  held  in  check  by  his  rider  though  his 
temper  seemed  in  no  wise  abated.  There  was 
something  sinister  in  the  figure  of  the  Mexican  as 
he  led  the  way  down  the  trail. 

All  in  black,  except  the  gray  of  his  hat  with  its 
golden  cord  and  the  tinsel  of  his  clothes.  There 
was  something  malignant  in  his  make-up  and  even 
the  unimaginative  Jim  was  affected  by  the  presence 
of  the  Mexican,  while  Juarez  was  very  uneasy,  and 
asked  Jo  and  Tom  to  allow  him  to  move  up  next 
to  the  Captain.  This  they  did,  though  it  left  Jo  as 
rear  guard  on  that  rocky  trail. 

He  seemed  quite  isolated  but  he  had  become  suffi- 
ciently enured  to  danger  and  though  he  kept  a 
wary  eye,  he  was  not  nervous.  The  boys  had  un- 
holstered  their  pistols  and  Juarez  kept  a  straight 


THE  HUNCHBACK  51 

eye  on  the  moving  shadow  in  the  darkness  ahead. 
At  the  first  sign  of  attack  or  treachery,  he  was 
going  to  get  that  particular  Manuel. 

"I've  got  my  eye  on  the  little  varmint,"  said 
Juarez  in  a  low  voice  to  Jim.  "He  may  be  leading 
us  into  an  ambush." 

"Oh,  I  guess  not,"  said  Jim,  with  a  note  of  hesita- 
tion in  his  voice.  "We  have  got  to  find  water  any- 
way. The  horses  are  suffering  for  it,  and  this 
beggar  can  show  us  where  we  can  locate  it." 

Just  then  Manuel  threw  up  his  hand  with  a  shrill 
whistle  that  had  every  malignant  intention  in  it. 
Juarez  raised  his  pistol  just  ready  to  fire,  when 
the  Mexican  laughed  shrilly. 

"Senor  Juarez  very  nervous.  I  just  stretch  and 
whistle  a  little  and  he  want  to  shoot." 

A  peculiar  srtiile  came  over  Juarez's  face,  but  he 
said  nothing.  All  the  stolid  Indian  in  his  nature 
came  to  the  surface.  He  merely  grunted  con- 
temptuously at  the  Mexican's  remark  and  this  made 
the  volatile  Manuel  uneasy  in  his  turn,  for  he 
wanted  to  realize  that  his  malice  had  struck  home, 
but  Juarez  did  not  give  him  that  satisfaction. 
There  was  a  sort  of  hidden  duel  between  these  two, 
the  subtle  Mexican  and  the  crafty  Indian  nature  of 
Juarez.  It  remained  to  be  seen  who  would  win. 

The  four  Frontier  Boys  went  silently  along  down 


52  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

the  dark  canyon,  each  one  occupied  with  his  own 
thoughts  and  the  ill-omened  Mexican  guide  in  the 
lead.  Juarez  kept  a  sharp  lookout  on  either  side 
of  the  trail  expecting  an  ambush.  His  horse  seemed 
to  feel  something  of  the  strain  his  rider  was  under, 
as  a  horse  will.  Once  he  shied  at  something  he  saw 
in  a  clump  of  bushes,  and  nearly  went  off  the  trail. 
It  was  only  with  the  aid  of  Juarez's  horsemanship 
that  he  clawed  his  way  back  to  safety.  The  Mexi- 
can was  much  amused  at  this  incident,  and  Jim 
gave  him  a  sharp  call  down. 


CHAPTER  VII 

FARMER   BROOM 

We  must  now  return  to  Captain  Broom  and  his 
escort,  whom  we  left  sitting  on  a  hill  covered  with 
trees  near  the  Sebastian  rancho.  Old  Pete's  story 
had  been  interrupted  by  the  skipper's  warning, — 
"Somebody  is  coming  our  way." 

There  was  no  question  about  that,  they  could 
hear  the  someone  coming  towards  the  hill  whistling 
cheerfully.  Then  the  form  of  a  man  could  be  seen, 
coming  up  the  slope  of  the  elevation. 

"I  wonder  where  those  altogether  blessed  cows 
are,"  he  was  heard  saying  in  Spanish,  but  of  course, 
this  is  a  free  and  not  a  literal  translation. 

"They  are  generally  hiding  under  these  trees," 
he  continued.  The  sailors  kept  absolutely  still  and 
old  Pete  covered  the  bowl  of  his  pipe  with  his  hand 
so  that  its  light  might  not  discover  them. 

"Carambe!"  cried  the  Mexican  as  he  stopped 
about  three  feet  from  the  recumbent  Captain,  "I 
fear  my  good  master's  cows  have  been  smoking, 
53 


54     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

not  like  nice  Mexican  cows,  a  cigarette,  but  a  pipe 
like  a  vile  gringo.  Come,  get  up,  you  black 
brute,"  noticing  the  big  bulk  of  the  Captain  for  the 
first  time,  and  he  hauled  off  and  gave  the  skipper  a 
hearty  kick  on  the  haunch. 

Never  was  there  a  more  surprised  greaser  in  the 
whole  ungainly  length  of  California  for  this  appar- 
ently gentle  cow  that  he  kicked,  (not  for  the  first 
time  either)  suddenly  turned  and  grabbed  him  with 
a  powerful  hand  before  he  could  yell,  though  he 
was  so  frightened  that  he  probably  could  not  utter 
a  squeak.  Another  hand  got  him  by  the  throat. 

"Take  me  for  a  cow,  did  you,  you  bespangled 
Manuello?"  roared  the  Captain,  and  he  waved  the 
aforesaid  Manueilo  about  in  his  great  grip  as 
though  he  had  been  a  rag. 

"No  use  killing  the  beggar,  Captain,"  said  the 
mate.  "Maybe  he  can  tell  us  something."  The 
Captain  let  the  Mexican  drop  and  he  lay  on  the 
ground  perfectly  inert. 

"He  won't  be  able  to  say  much  right  away,"  said 
the  Skipper. 

It  was  now  getting  light,  the  first  signs  of  dawn 
showing  above  the  mountains.  As  the  darkness 
was  drawn  away,  they  could  see  their  position  more 
clearly  and  there  came  the  sounds  of  the  morning 
from  the  direction  of  the  ranch  houses.  The  bark- 


FARMER  BROOM  55 

ing  of  dogs,  the  crowing  of  roosters,  and  the  call 
of  human  voices. 

"I  guess,  lads,  it's  about  time  for  us  to  have 
something  to  eat,"  said  the  Captain,  "because  we 
have  got  to  do  some  tall  climbing  today  and  I  want 
to  get  an  early  start." 

An  expression  of  disgust  showed  itself  on  old 
Pete's  face  at  the  idea  of  more  walking,  which  the 
Captain  was  quick  to  note. 

"How  would  you  like  to  stay  here,  Old  Bones, 
and  look  after  Manuello?"  said  the  skipper.  But 
Pete  shook  his  head. 

"I'll  stay  by  the  ship,  Cap'n,"  said  the  old  fellow 
stoutly. 

"Durn  my  buttons,"  said  the  Captain,  whose 
oaths  were  as  mild  as  his  actions  were  vicious, 
"if  you  ain't  a  good  old  barnacle,  Pete.  I 
wouldn't  think  of  leaving  you  in  such  company  as 
this,"  and  he  gave  the  prostrate  Mexican  a  shove 
with  his  foot.  Manuello  looked  up  at  the  Captain 
with  an  evil  eye  and  a  muttered  curse. 

This  roused  the  fury  of  Captain  Broom  and  he 
held  him  off  from  the  ground  as  if  he  had  been 
a  rat,  his  jaws  working  ominously  and  a  look  in  his 
eyes  that  made  the  Mexican  shrivel. 

Nothing  was  said,  not  even  by  the  Skipper,  and 
the  others  watched  him  fascinated  as  he  glared  at 


56     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

his  victim,  and  even  the  iron  composure  of  the 
saturnine  mate  seemed  to  be  moved  partially  aside. 
The  Mexican  began  to  whimper  and  moan  as  his 
eyes  shifted  to  avoid  the  terrible  ones  of  the  Cap- 
tain. He  was  not  suffering  any  special  violence, 
but  a  strange  tremor  filled  the  soul  of  the  Mexican, 
in  the  grip  of  the  grizzled  giant. 

As  the  greaser  began  to  cry,  the  Captain  gave  a 
roar  of  laughter  and  threw  him  aside  upon  the 
ground,  about  all  the  humanity  he  had  shriveled 
out  of  him.  He  lay  there  absolutely  without  any 
power  of  motion  in  his  body. 

Just  then  the  crew  of  the  Sea  Eagle  became 
aware  of  the  fact  that  a  horned  animal  with  big 
brown  eyes  was  looking  at  them.  All  the  farmer 
in  the  nature  of  Captain  Broom  came  to  the  sur- 
face. 

"By  Gum,"  he  exclaimed,  "if  here  ain't  a  bovine 
cow  looking  at  us.  I  ain't  milked  one  for  forty 
years,  but  I'm  not  afeard  to  try.  'Member,  Pete, 
when  we  used  to  milk  the  cows  back  in  old  Connec- 
ticut on  the  farm.  After  working  in  the  hay  all 
day,  I'd  go  down  in  the  side  hill  pasture,  that  was 
so  steep  that  you  had  to  hold  on  with  your  toes  and 
your  teeth  to  keep  from  sliding  down  to  the 
brook." 

"You  bring  it  back  to  me  just  like  it  was  a  liv- 


FARMER  BROOM  57 

ing  picture,"  said  Pete,  his  hard  face  softening  un- 
der the  gentle  showers  of  memory. 

"Then  I'd  drive  the  black  and  white  one  that 
was  breechy,  and  the  red  mooley,  the  yaller  and 
white  that  gave  the  richest  milk.  I'd  drive  them 
into  the  stanchions  in  the  old  barn,  with  the  ground 
floor  stoned  up  on  the  side,  where  it  was  sunk  into 
the  hill." 

"But  it  was  winter,  Cap'n,"  said  Pete,  "that  it  was 
interesting  doing  the  chores,"  and  he  blew  remi- 
niscently  on  his  fingers,  "snow  two  feet  on  the  level 
and  the  sun  a  piece  of  blue  ice  in  the  sky.  A  con- 
demned sight  better  place  than  Californey,  where 
you  don't  feel  no  more  alive  than  a  enbalmed 
corpse." 

The  Captain  began  now  a  series  of  manoeuvres  to 
get  within  range  of  one  of  the  cows  so  that  they 
might  have  fresh  milk  for  breakfast.  He  managed 
it  finally,  and  he  certainly  looked  like  a  peaceful 
old  farmer  as  with  his  gray  head  against  a  fat  red 
cow's  flank,  he  milked  into  a  large  tin  cup.  Pete  se- 
lected a  black  mooley  and  soothed  by  the  man's 
persuasive  manner,  she  consented  finally  to  give 
down  a  thin  blue  stream.  But  the  saturnine  mate 
was  less  successful  as  he  knew  much  more  about 
navigating  a  ship  than  he  did  about  cows. 

Finally  after  much  awkward  manoeuvring,  he  got 


58  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

a  cow  cornered  and  began  operations  upon  the  left 
side  with  the  result  that  the  cow  landed  upon  him 
with  her  hoof  and  sent  him  sprawling  on  his  back 
to  the  great  delight  of  the  Captain. 

"Hurt  bad,  Bill?"  inquired  the  Skipper  with  mock 
sympathy,  "I'm  afeard  that  you  will  never  make  a 
farmer." 

"I  never  calkerlated  to,"  replied  the  mate.  "It 
ain't  my  line  of  business." 

"Don't  tell  me  that,"  said  the  Captain,  "I  can  see 
that  for  myself.  Come  up  here  and  I'll  give  you  a 
drink." 

They  had  scarcely  finished  their  simple  breakfast 
when  Jack  Cales  gave  a  sudden  alarm. 

"Cap'n,"  he  cried,  "I  see  two  men  legging  it  our 
way.  They  are  making  straight  for  the  hill." 

"I  guess  they  are  coming  to  see  why  Manuello 
doesn't  show  up  with  the  cows,"  remarked  the  Cap- 
tain, "we  don't  want  to  stir  up  this  hen  roost  as 
we've  got  other  chicken  to  fry.  So  we'll  git." 

"Take  the  greaser?"  inquired  Jack. 

"You  and  the  mate  fetch  him,"  said  the  Captain. 

Just  as  the  two  men  were  mounting  the  hill,  the 
Captain  and  his  crew  made  a  swift  sneak  down  the 
opposite  slope,  and  were  soon  making  their  way 
through  the  bush  towards  the  foot-hills.  In  a  min- 
ute they  heard  the  cries  of  the  two  men  as  they 


FARMER  BROOM  59 

drove  the  herd  of  cows  towards  the  home  ranch  for 
the  morning  milking.  The  sun  had  now  risen 
above  the  eastern  range  just  in  front  of  them  and 
was  blazing  down  upon  the  plain  and  the  sea 
beyond.  There  was  something  exhilarating  in  the 
air  in  spite  of  the  heat. 

"We  don't  need  the  company  of  that  greaser  any 
further,"  said  Captain  Broom,  after  they  had  made 
some  headway  up  a  canyon  back  of  the  ranch  build- 
ings. So  they  took  some  rope  grass,  tough  as 
manilla,  and  tied  him  firmly,  and,  after  having 
gagged  him,  they  left  him  to  be  found  later  by 
some  of  his  countrymen. 

Then  they  toiled  steadily  up  the  trail  of  the 
canyon,  until  about  noon  they  reached  a  pocket  in 
the  canyon  where  there  was  a  pool  of  clear  water 
fed  by  an  invisible  spring.  Coming  to  meet  them 
were  four  boys  riding  up  the  trail  on  the  other 
side  of  the  range. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  CAMP  IN  THE  POCKET 

Under  the  guidance  of  the  Mexican  dwarf,  the 
four  boys  came  at  last  to  a  halt.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  canyon  down  which  they  had  been  riding  had 
come  to  an  end  for  there  was  a  wall  of  rock  directly 
in  front  of  them. 

"Down  there,  Senor,  is  a  pool  of  clear  water," 
announced  the  Mexican. 

"Glad  to  hear  it,  Manuel,"  said  Jim  heartily. 

"Did  you  ever  see  a  picture,  Jim,"  put  in  Juarez 
significantly,  "of  a  pool  where  the  thirsty  animals 
have  to  come  to  drink  and  before  they  get  their 
noses  in  the  water  the  hunter  shoots  them?" 

But  nothing  of  this  dire  nature  happened  and  in 
a  few  minutes  the  famished  animals  were  pump- 
ing the  delicious  water  down  their  long,  baked 
throats. 

"My  Gracious,  but  that  tastes  good !"  cried  Tom, 
drawing  in  a  long,  gasping  breath,  after  he  had 
been  drinking  steadily  for  about  a  minute.  "It 

makes  my  head  swim." 

60 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  POCKET          61 

"I  should  think  it  would,"  said  Jo,  sarcastically, 
"considering  the  amount  you  have  drunk." 

"You  weren't  far  behind,"  grumbled  Tom.  "I 
thought  that  you  were  not  going  to  leave  enough 
for  the  horses." 

"I  don't  especially  like  this  place  to  camp  in," 
said  Jim.  "We  are  not  accustomed  to  get  in  a 
pocket  like  this.  But  it  is  too  late  to  pull  out  to- 
night and  the  horses  need  a  rest,  so  we  will  keep 
guard." 

"Better  drown  the  brown  rat  first,"  remarked 
Juarez  to  Jim.  But  the  latter  only  shook  his  head 
and  laughed. 

The  camp  was  made  about  twenty  feet  east  of 
the  spring  in  a  small  grove  of  slender  trees  backed 
by  a  high  wall  of  steep  granite,  down  which  poured 
a  waterfall  in  the  rainy  season. 

The  fire  was  built  upon  a  flat  rock  in  the  centre 
of  the  grove  where  there  was  no  danger  of  it  catch- 
ing in  the  grass  and  bushes  which  were  dry  as  tin- 
der. If  once  a  mountain  fire  was  started  at  the  end 
of  the  dry  season  there  would  be  no  stopping  it 
until  it  had  devastated  the  whole  country. 

The  light  of  the  fire  showed  the  usual  cheery  and 
active  scene  that  goes  with  making  camp.  How 
many  times  the  Frontier  Boys  had  gone  through 
these  preparations  it  is  impossible  to  say.  They 


62     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

had  camped  on  the  plains  of  Kansas,  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Colorado,  on  the  Mesas  of  New  Mexico, 
the  banks  of  the  Colorado  river,  and  the  Pampas 
of  Mexico.  Now  we  find  them  in  the  coast  range 
of  California. 

It  was  not  an  especially  dangerous  country  in 
which  they  were  camped,  nothing  to  compare  with 
parts  of  Colorado  and  Mexico,  but  never  were  they 
in  greater  danger  than  at  the  present  moment  and 
this  camp  promised  to  be  their  last  together,  except 
they  had  unusual  luck. 

There  was  a  traitor  in  the  company,  and  even 
now  four  pairs  of  hostile  eyes  were  watching  them 
as  they  moved  in  the  light  of  the  fire.  The  Captain 
of  the  Sea  Eagle  and  his  three  trusty  men  were 
hidden  in  some  bushes  at  the  top  of  the  pocket  on 
the  western  side. 

Juarez  and  Jim  busied  themselves  first  in  looking 
after  their  horses.  Removing  the  saddles  they 
rubbed  down  each  animal  thoroughly,  clear  to  the 
fetlocks  and  then  gave  them  a  good  feed  of  grain. 
Jo  and  Tom  were  on  the  supper  committee  and  busy- 
ing themselves  making  preparations  for  a  square 
meal.  Manuello,  who  had  been  with  the  boys  on 
the  other  side  of  the  range  and  was  accustomed  to. 
help  in  odd  chores  about  camp,  now  offered  to  aid 
in  getting  the  supper. 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  POCKET          63 

"I  will  make  the  coffee  with  your  permission, 
Senor  Jo,"  he  proposed. 

"Do  you  savvy  it  all  right,  Manuello?"  inquired 
Jo. 

"Ah,  yes,  Senor.  I  can  make  such  coffee  as  the 
Holy  Father  would  be  pleased  to  drink,"  he  re- 
plied with  fervor. 

"Not  too  strong  because  it  keeps  me  awake,"  pro- 
tested Tom. 

"No,  no,  Senor  Thomas,"  replied  Manuello 
with  a  sweeping  bow,  "the  coffee  I  make  is  very 
soothing.  It  will  give  you  a  long,  soft  sleep." 
There  was  an  undertone  of  subtle  irony  that  was 
entirely  lost  upon  the  two  straightforward  boys. 

"That's  a  good  fellow,  Manuello,"  said  Jo,  cor- 
dially, and  he  handed  the  coffee  pot  filled  with 
water  to  the  Mexican,  who  went  about  the  prepara- 
tion of  it  with  a  deftness  that  showed  that  he  knew 
what  he  was  about.  Not  one  of  the  boys  saw  him 
slip  a  white  powder  into  the  coffee  pot.  It  quickly 
dissolved  and  the  coffee  began  to  bubble  innocently 
enough  under  the  eyes  of  the  hunchback  Manuello. 

Juarez  and  Jim  just  then  came  back  from  looking 
after  the  horses  which  were  fastened  near  the  wall 
of  rock.  As  soon  as  Juarez  saw  the  Mexican 
watching  over  the  coffee  pot,  his  eyes  narrowed 
with  suspicion. 


64     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"Who  made  the  coffee?"  he  asked  Jo,  bluntly. 

"Manuello,"  replied  Jo. 

"The  Senor  will  find  the  coffee  truly  delicious," 
said  the  hunchback  with  a  bow,  "only  the  Mexican 
knows  how  to  keep  its  aroma  when  boiling  it." 

"Humph,"  grunted  Juarez,  and  he  went  deliber- 
ately to  the  fire  and  lifted  the  coffee  pot  off  and 
poured  its  contents  on  the  ground. 

"The  American  does  not  care  for  the  aroma  of 
your  Mexican  coffee,"  he  said  coolly. 

The  Mexican  merely  gave  a  peculiar  hitch  to  his 
shoulder,  spat  on  the  ground  and  turned  away  ap- 
parently mortally  offended  as  he,  no  doubt,  was. 
That  part  of  his  scheme  had  been  blocked  by  the 
craftiness  of  Juarez,  but  the  Captain  might  make 
good  where  his  spy  had  failed. 

The  Mexican  sat  back  in  the  shadow  on  a  rock 
smoking  a  cigarette,  while  the  boys  ate  their 
supper  of  beans,  meat,  bread  and  coffee.  He  was 
the  skeleton  at  the  feast  as  it  were,  not  only  his 
malignant  humor  made  itself  felt,  but  there  was  a 
sense  of  depression  that  they  could  not  shake  off, 
try  as  they  would. 

This  was  so  unusual  that  they  could  not  account 
for  it.  As  a  rule,  they  were  jolly  and  even  when 
danger  was  impending,  they  felt  a  certain  confi- 
dence and  assurance,  but  not  so  tonight. 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  POCKET          65 

"What  makes  us  feel  so  on  the  bum  tonight,  do 
you  suppose?"  asked  Tom. 

"Maybe  this  canyon  is  haunted,"  proposed  Jo, 
who  had  an  imaginative  streak  in  him. 

"I  tell  you  the  way  I  figure  it,"  said  Jim.  "We 
are  not  used  to  camping  in  a  hollow  like  this,  for 
before  this  we  have  always  selected  a  place  that 
we  could  defend,  and  though  there  is  no  particular 
danger  from  outlaws  or  Indians  in  these  mountains, 
we  can't  shake  off  our  old  habits." 

"I  believe  there  is  something  in  that,"  acquiesced 
Jo- 

"It's  that  rat  over  there,"  said  Juarez  loudly. 

The  Mexican  laughed  coolly  and  insolently,  and 
lighted  another  cigarette.  This  would  have  mad- 
dened an  excitable  person,  but  Juarez  was  in  a 
stoical  mood  and  he  contented  himself  with  fling- 
ing a  bone  that  he  had  been  gnawing  at,  carelessly 
over  his  shoulder,  almost  striking  the  Mexican  in 
the  face. 

This  set  that  peppery  individual  wild  and  he  tore 
around  considerably,  tearing  his  hair,  stamping  his 
feet  and  sputtering  with  maledictions  at  the  insult 
that  had  been  offered  him. 

"I  am  no  dog  that  you  can  throw  a  bone  to." 
and  he  sizzled  off  into  a  string  of  unpleasant  re- 
marks. 


66     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"Here  you,  Manuello,"  roared  Jim,  rising  to  his 
feet  and  standing  over  the  Mexican,  "not  another 
yelp  out  of  you." 

Manuello  had  a  respect  for  this  big  American 
lad  much  as  he  despised  his  simplicity  and  he 
sobered  down.  Besides  he  had  not  finished  his 
work  for  the  night.  He  had  failed  to  get  the  sleep- 
ing drug  to  the  boys  in  the  coffee  and  now  he  must 
be  ready  to  help  his  master,  Captain  Broom  of  the 
Sea  Eagle,  in  some  other  way. 

There  was  a  person  whom  he  feared  and  admired 
absolutely  and  he  had  been  a  most  useful  spy  and 
agent  for  the  Skipper  in  certain  nefarious  plots. 
It  was  well  for  the  little  hunchback  that  no  one 
knew  of  his  share  in  the  betraying  of  old  Juan  Se- 
bastian some  years  before. 

"You  will  have  the  first  watch,  Jo,"  ordered  Jim. 
"It  is  now  nine  o'clock.  I  will  relieve  you  at 
eleven  and  stand  guard  until  two.  Juarez  from 
two  until  five  and  Tom  can  have  the  short  watch." 

According  to  this  arrangement,  Jim  and  Juarez 
would  be  on  guard  during  the  danger  hours. 

How  many  times  in  the  past  had  the  boys  stood 
guard  over  their  camp.  Was  this  to  be  the  last 
guard?  There  were  the  old  Kansas  days,  when 
they  had  to  be  on  the  watch  against  horse  fhieves. 
Then  came  the  dangerous  crisis  in  their  Colorado 


67 

experiences,  when  they  had  to  guard  against  the 
wiles  of  the  Indians.  And  most  exciting  of  all, 
perhaps,  the  night  in  old  Mexico  when  they  camped 
on  the  trail  of  the  outlaws.  I  wonder  if  Jo,  the 
first  on  duty,  thought  of  these  old  times  that  night. 
Probably  not,  his  mind  being  fully  occupied  with 
the  business  in  hand. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   ATTACK 

So  the  three  boys  rolled  into  their  blankets  with 
the  saddles  for  pillows  and  dropped  immediately  to 
sleep  as  they  were  very  tired  from  the  long,  hard 
ride.  They  lay  at  different  points  around  the  fire, 
which  was  allowed  to  die  down  as  the  fog  seemed 
like  a  warm  gray  blanket  over  the  whole  landscape. 

Jo  sat  on  a  log  by  the  slowly  dying  fire,  with  his 
rifle  on  his  knees  looking  into  the  darkness  and  not 
far  from  him  lay  the  Mexican  a  mere  dark  lump 
on  the  ground,  apparently  asleep,  but  keeping  a 
wary  eye  on  all  around.  Imperceptibly  he  crept 
nearer  to  where  Jo  was  sitting,  but  he  did  not  have 
the  weapon  he  would  have  preferred  in  his  hand, 
the  stiletto,  which  was  as  natural  to  him  as  the 
fangs  to  a  rattlesnake. 

But  it  did  not  suit  the  long-headed  Captain 
Broom  to  have  the  boys  killed.  He  wanted  their 
life  as  well  as  their  money,  but  in  a  different  sense 
than  the  adage  has  it.  From  what  he  had  heard  of 
them,  they  were  boys  of  unusual  mettle  and  varied 
68 


THE  ATTACK  69 

acquirements.  If  caught  young,  he  could  train 
them  to  good  purpose.  If  they  proved  worthless, 
he  would  hold  them  for  ransom. 

So  Captain  Broom  had  told  Manuello  briefly  and 
to  the  point  that  there  was  to  be  no  rib-sticking  and 
the  Mexican  would  have  thought  as  soon  of  dis- 
obeying the  commands  of  the  Evil  One  as  of  going 
contrary  to  the  instructions  of  the  Captain.  So  as 
he  crept  towards  Jo,  he  held  not  a  poniard  in  his 
clenched  hand,  but  a  heavy  weapon  like  a  black- 
jack, made  of  leather  with  a  weight  at  the  end. 

Jo,  however,  spoiled  his  first  attempt,  for  when 
the  greaser  had  got  within  striking  distance,  Jo  got 
up  and  went  down  to  the  pool  to  get  a  drink.  If  it 
had  not  been  so  dark,  when  they  arrived,  the  boys 
would  have  seen  tracks  around  the  pool  that  would 
have  aroused  their  suspicions.  But  everything 
seemed  to  work  against  them  this  time. 

Jo  stooped  down  at  the  brink  and  scarcely  put 
his  thirsty  lips  to  the  water  when  some  instinct  of 
warning  made  him  look  quickly  around  and  he  saw 
a  small  dark  object  directly  back  of  him. 

"Pardon,  Senor,  for  startling  you;"  it  was  the 
voice  of  the  dwarf,  "but  I,  too,  was  very  thirsty.  It 
is  in  the  air." 

"You  needn't  have  been  so  quiet  about  it,"  said 
Jo,  crossly.  This  little  rat  always  had  a  way  of 


;o     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

baffling  and  irritating  him,  because  he  did  not  have 
Jim's  force,  which  could  beat  down  the  dwarf  when 
occasion  demanded  it,  or  the  stoicism  of  Juarez, 
which  blocked  the  hunchback. 

"I  came  softly,  Senor,"  said  the  Mexican,  im- 
perturbably,  "because  I  did  not  wish  to  disturb  the 
slumbers  of  the  Senors  who  are  resting." 

"Get  down  and  drink,  then,"  said  Jo,  who, 
though  he  realized  that  the  Mexican  was  up  to 
some  hidden  deviltry,  did  not  know  how  to  meet 
him.  Jim  and  Juarez  would  have  knocked  him  out 
of  the  camp  if  they  had  discovered  him  trailing 
them,  with  a  warning  that  he  would  be  shot  if  he 
put  in  an  appearance  again. 

While  the  Mexican  was  pretending  to  drink,  Jo 
satisfied  his  thirst  at  a  point  of  the  pool  where  he 
would  be  safe  from  a  sudden  attack  by  the  hunch- 
back. For  Jo  was  not  a  fool  by  any  means.  Then 
he  got  to  his  feet  and  with  the  Mexican  ahead  of 
him,  he  saw  to  that,  he  made  his  way  back  to  the 
camp. 

Scarcely  had  Jo  seated  himself  upon  the  rock 
again  than  he  heard  a  stick  snap  upon  the  mountain 
side  above  the  horses,  so  he  got  to  his  feet  to  inves- 
tigate. 

"You  can  stay  where  you  are,  Manuello,"  said 


THE  ATTACK  71 

Jo.  "I  don't  need  your  company  this  time."  The 
Mexican  laughed  softly  to  himself. 

"I  hope  the  Senor  Americano  will  not  get  lone- 
some," he  said. 

Jo  made  a  careful  search  in  the  direction  of  the 
sound  but  found  no  sign  of  a  human  being  lurking 
among  the  trees.  Though  he  felt  exceedingly 
nervous,  he  was  unable  to  account  therefor  or  give 
a  reason. 

Very  quietly  he  went  the  rounds,  so  as  not  to 
awake  the  boys,  who,  however,  were  sleeping  heav- 
ily. He  found  the  horses  all  right  standing  with 
drooping  heads  as  though  dozing,  Jo's  black  with 
his  neck  over  Tom's  bay,  as  these  horses  were 
great  chums.  But  Caliente  and  Juarez's  roan  were 
not  sociable  and  kept  strictly  to  themselves. 

Then  Jo  returned  to  the  rock  where  he  had  been 
sitting.  He  stirred  the  dying  fire  so  that  it  sent  up 
a  feeble  spurt  of  flame  by  the  aid  of  which  he 
looked  at  his  watch.  It  lacked  a  few  minutes  of 
ten.  The  Mexican  had  -taken  up  his  old  place  on 
the  ground  watching  for  his  chance.  He  was 
anxious  that  the  attack  should  take  place  during 
Jo's  watch  for  he  had  his  doubts  in  regard  to 
Juarez  or  the  redoubtable  Jim  proving  easy  victims. 

All  this  time,  Captain  Bill  Broom  and  his  crew 
had  been  keeping  watch  upon  their  intended  victims 


72      FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

from  the  top  of  the  cliff  above  the  pool.  They 
could  see  every  move  from  the  time  the  Frontier 
Boys  had  arrived  until  they  lay  down  near  the 
smouldering  fire. 

"They  are  a  husky  lot,"  was  the  Captain's  first 
comment.  "That  tall  fellar,  I  guess,  is  a  horse 
tamer  and  Injun  fighter." 

Some  time  later  when  the  altercation  occurred 
about  the  coffee  and  Juarez  expressed  his  opinion 
about  the  Mexican,  the  Captain  could  scarcely  keep 
from  haw-hawing  right  out. 

"Them  fellars  have  got  some  dis'pline,"  com- 
mented the  saturnine  mate. 

"You're  right  they  hev,"  said  the  Captain. 

"That  lad  don't  know  how  to  handle  my  pet 
rattlesnake,"  was  the  Captain's  comment  when  the 
Mexican  trailed  Jo  to  the  drinking  pool.  After 
Jo  had  returned  from  making  his  rounds  and  had 
resumed  his  guard  again,  the  Captain  decided  that 
the  time  had  come  for  action. 

"Now,  lads,"  he  ordered,  "pull  off  your  shoes 
and  the  first  man  that  makes  a  sound  will  get  his 
neck  cracked.  Knock  'em  out,  if  necessary,  but 
no  killing  this  time." 

Then  they  started,  the  Captain  in  the  lead,  and 
old  Pete  bringing  up  the  rear.  They  had  had  a 
good  many  hours  in  that  vicinity  and  had  made  a 


THE  ATTACK  73 

path  from  their  hiding  place  to  the  soft  dust  trail. 
So  they  moved  in  their  sock  feet  without  a  sound. 
There  ,/as  an  oppressive  stillness  in  that  dark  can- 
yon under  the  heavy  blanket  of  fog. 

Already  it  had  began  to  lower  and  as  the  sailors 
advanced  with  snail-like  slowness  the  heavy  white 
fog  settled  down,  filling  the  canyon  with  its  white 
opaqueness.  You  could  not  see  five  feet  in  front, 
and  the  moisture  beaded  itself  upon  the  eyebrows 
and  mustaches  of  the  men. 

This  dense  fog  was  a  great  help  to  the  attack- 
ing party.  They  had  now  crawled  half  way  down 
the  main  trail,  when  Pete  came  near  putting  all  the 
fat  in  the  fire,  for  his  eyesight  was  not  overly  keen, 
and  the  fog  made  it  more  difficult  for  him.  He  did 
not  see  a  round  stone  poised  on  the  edge  of  the 
trail  until  it  rolled  down  towards  the  pool. 

Although  every  sound  was  deadened  by  the  fog, 
still  the  watchful  Jo  heard  it  distinctly.  He  got 
quickly  to  his  feet  and,  with  soft  moccasined  tread 
he  went  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  his  pistol  in 
his  hand. 

No  sooner  had  the  stone  fallen  than  the  Captain 
motioned  the  mate  to  halt.  This  signal  was  re- 
peated to  Jack  Cales,  who  was  so  hidden  by  the 
fog  that  he  could  not  see  the  Captain.  He  stopped 


74     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

suddenly  so  that  old  Pete  tumbled  over  him,  mak- 
ing some  noise. 

The  Captain  almost  had  a  fit  of  apoplexy  because 
he  did  not  dare  express  himself  at  this  interesting 
juncture.  Jo  had  heard  the  noise  on  the  trail  and 
his  suspicions  centered  in  that  direction.  Noise- 
lessly he  went  up  with  slight  footprints  in  the 
damp  dust  of  the  trail.  The  Captain  waited  his 
coming,  crouched  behind  a  bend  in  the  trail. 

Then  Jo  saw  a  huge  figure  rising  suddenly  out 
of  the  fog  in  front  of  him  and,  before  he  could  fire, 
a  great  hand  gripped  for  his  throat,  but  if  he  could 
not  shoot  in  defense,  at  least  he  could  give  his  com- 
rades warning.  He  fired  one  shot,  and  then  he  was 
overpowered. 

Jim  and  Juarez  heard  it  instantly.  Then  Man- 
uello  got  in  some  of  his  work.  Before  Juarez 
could  rise,  he  struck  him  a  vicious  blow  upon  the 
head  that  stunned  him,  rendering  him  unconscious. 
Cold  with  fury,  Jim  picked  up  the  rat  of  a  Mexi- 
can before  he  could  land  a  blow  upon  him,  whirled 
him  over  his  head  and  dashed  him  upon  the  ground. 

Then  he  sprang  through  the  fog  in  the  direction 
of  the  shot.  He  heard  Jo  groan  as  the  ruffians 
overpowered  him  and  he  leaped  up  the  trail  blind 
with  a  fighting  rage.  The  Captain  had  just  got  up 


THE  'ATTACK  75 

from  the  struggle  with  Jo,  who  lay  as  good  as  dead 
in  the  trail. 

Then  Jim  hurled  himself  upon  him.  Powerful 
though  he  was,  the  Captain  could  not  withstand  the 
sinewy  lurch  of  that  sudden  attack  and  together 
boy  and  man  crashed  from  the  trail  over  rocks 
and  through  brush  until  with  a  fearful  impact  they 
struck  the  trunk  of  a  pine  tree. 

The  mate  sprang  swiftly  down  to  the  rescue  of 
his  fallen  master.  He  was  a  strong,  sinewy  man 
and  knew  how  to  act  in  an  emergency. 


CHAPTER  X 
"HAUL  IN" 

The  jar  of  the  fall  had  knocked  out  the  Captain 
partially  and  Jim  had  risen  to  give  him  the  coup 
de  grace,  when  he  heard  the  rush  of  the  mate  com- 
ing down,  through  the  fog.  It  was  a  strange  sen- 
sation hearing  your  enemy  but  not  able  to  see  him. 

Then  the  mate  plunged  into  view,  a  dark  ball 
through  the  opaqueness.  He  could  not  have 
stopped  if  he  had  so  desired  and  it  was  evident  that 
he  did  not  wish  to.  For,  with  lowered  head,  he 
came  for  Jim  as  he  would  for  an  ugly  sailor. 

Jim  stopped  him  with  his  shoulder  and  ripped  in 
a  right  uppercut  with  his  keen  hard  fist  that  would 
have  stopped  the  heart  action  of  an  ordinary  man, 
and  it  sent  the  seasoned  mate  back  upon  his 
haunches,  partially  dazed.  Feeling  the  Captain 
squirming  back  to  life,  he  planted  a  back  blow  with 
his  heel  in  the  latter's  stomach  that  took  the  wind 
out  of  the  Captain's  sails  for  the  time  being.  The 
mate,  a  really  hardy  individual,  had  made  good  use 
76 


"HAUL  IN"  77 

of  the  brief  respite  and,  picking  up  a  heavy  stick, 
came  for  Jim  with  it. 

The  latter  dodged  the  blow  aimed  at  his  head 
and  it  glanced  or!  his  shoulder.  Then  he  closed 
with  the  sailor,  struggling  to  put  him  out.  Three 
seconds  more  and  Jim  would  have  landed  the 
proper  blow,  had  not  Jack  Cales  arrived  upon  the 
scene  under  cover  of  the  melee.  Before  Jim  could 
turn  to  meet  this  new  assailant,  a  stone  crashed 
against  his  head — and  the  frontier  boys  had  lost 

The  Captain  had  now  recovered  sufficiently  to 
get  on  his  feet,  and  the  fallen  Jim  was  kicked  until 
the  Captain  himself  called  a  halt. 

"Wait  till  we  get  him  on  board  ship,  lads,"  he 
said,  "and  we  will  finish  this  job." 

"Better  get  the  other  two,  Cap'n,"  advised  the 
mate. 

So  they  dragged  the  prostrate  Jim  to  the  foot  of 
the  trail  near  where  the  drinking  pool  was  and  went 
to  look  for  Juarez  and  Tom.  They  saw  a  small 
black  object  crawling  towards  them  through  the 
fog. 

"What's  this  a  coming?"  asked  Jack  Cales. 

"Why,  it's  my  Mexican  ferret,"  said  the  Captain. 
"What's  the  matter,  Manuello?"  he  asked  as  he 
turned  him  over  none  too  gently  with  his  foot. 

"The  big  Senor  throw  me  over  his  head  and  on 


78  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

the  ground.  I  think  I  crack  the  world  open,"  he 
explained.  The  Captain  roared  with  laughter. 

"Where  is  the  rest  of  this  dangerous  gang?"  he 
asked. 

"I  will  show  you,"  he  said,  struggling  to  his  feet. 
The  presence  of  his  master  gave  him  strength  and 
confidence.  "This  way,  Senor  Captain." 

He  brought  them  to  where  Juarez  lay  upon  the 
ground,  partially  held  up  by  Tom,  who  had  been 
crying  and  endeavoring  to  bring  his  comrade  back 
to  consciousness  from  the  ugly  blow  that  the  Mexi- 
can had  given  him.  I  am  sure  that  none  could 
blame  Tom  for  tears  upon  this  occasion  for  it  was 
calculated  to  try  the  heart  of  the  stoutest. 

"Why,  this  boy  looks  like  an  Indian,"  said  the 
Captain  regarding  Juarez  closely. 

"He  lived  with  the  Indians  when  a  boy,  Senor 
Captain,"  volunteered  the  dwarf,  who  by  subtle 
means  of  his  own  had  become  possessed  of  the 
history  of  the  four  boys. 

"He  don't  seem  to  be  much  more  than  a  boy, 
now,"  said  the  Captain.  They  had  not  paid  much 
attention  to  Tom  because  he  seemed  a  mere  kid, 
but  the  hunchback  was  not  to  be  caught  napping, 
for  he  had  worked  around  back  of  Tom,  and  as 
the  latter  aimed  his  revolver  at  the  Captain,  having 
worked  it  cautiously  out  of  his  holster,  the  dwarf 


"HAUL  IN"  79 

grabbed  him  in  the  nick  of  time  else  the  expedition 
would  have  lost  its  head. 

Instead  of  being  infuriated  as  one  might  have 
expected,  the  Captain  was  decidedly  amused  at  the 
temerity  of  the  youngster,  for  that  is  all  Tom 
appeared  to  him,  and,  therefore,  he  did  not  hand 
him  a  beating. 

"The  nerve  of  the  little  rooster,"  guffawed  the 
Captain.  "I'll  make  a  real  pirate  out  of  you." 

Tom  struggled  wildly,  but  it  was  no  use,  as 
Jack  Cales  and  the  mate  disarmed  him.  Just  then 
there  came  a  loud  yell  from  up  the  trail. 

"Haul  in,  Cap'n !"  It  was  Old  Pete's  well  known 
and  melodious  voice. 

"Jack,  go  and  see  what  the  old  cuss  wants,"  or- 
dered the  Captain.  "I  expect  that  the  lad  up  there 
is  trying  to  kidnap  Pete." 

When  Jack  arrived  on  the  scene,  he  found  that 
the  Skipper  had  guessed  right.  For  Jo  had  been 
playing  possum  and  was  not  nearly  so  badly  hurt 
as  he  had  appeared  to  be. 

He  came  near  escaping  from  his  keeper  and  it 
was  only  by  a  quick  forward  lunge  that  Pete  had 
grabbed  him  and  then  occurred  a  short  struggle 
in  which  Pete  had  called  for  help  and  just  as  Jo 
had  wrestled  himself  loose,  Cales  appeared  and 


80     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

grabbed  him.  It  took  both  Pete  and  Cales  quite  a 
while  to  subdue  him. 

Finally  it  was  accomplished  and  they  made  him. 
go  down  the  trail,  one  on  either  side.  At  the  foot 
of  the  incline  he  saw  the  bruised  and  battered  form 
of  Jim  lying  on  the  ground  and  a  big  lump  came 
into  his  throat. 

"You  fellows  will  pay  for  this,"  he  said,  rendered 
desperate  by  the  sight  of  Jim.  But  his  captors 
only  laughed,  not  realizing  that  the  Frontier  Boys 
were  apt  to  keep  their  word. 

Then  they  joined  the  main  gang  and  Jo  saw  to 
his  dismay  that  Tom  and  Juarez  were  in  the  coils 
as  well  as  himself  and  that  Juarez,  too,  had  been 
laid  out  and  appeared  dazed  and  only  partially 
conscious  of  what  was  going  on.  Thus  there  was 
little  hope  of  escape  with  the  two  leaders,  Jim  and 
Juarez,  done  for. 

"Better  search  these  beggars  for  their  money, 
Captain,"  suggested  the  mate. 

"It  hadn't  slipped  my  mind,"  replied  the  Skipper. 

Now  the  money  and  the  jewels  that  the  boys 
had  found  in  Mexico  were  in  leather  belts  around 
their  bodies.  These  were  soon  in  the  possession 
of  the  Captain,  but  the  crew  knew  full  well  that 
they  would  receive  their  share  and  thus  it  was  that 


"HAUL  IN"  81 

the  Skipper  gave  promise  of  living  to  a  ripe  old 
age  instead  of  being  murdered  for  his  money. 

"It's  about  time  to  make  a  start,  Cap'n,"  an- 
nounced the  mate,  and  the  Captain  consulted  his 
watch  by  the  light  of  a  lantern.  He  found  that 
it  was  half -past  eleven. 

"We  won't  be  so  long  going  back,"  he  said. 
"We  will  use  their  horses." 

This  was  easier  said  than  done,  for  when  any  of 
the  crew  approached  Caliente,  that  noble  animal 
became  transformed  into  a  tiger  and  as  he  came 
for  them  with  bared  teeth  or  whirled  and  kicked 
out  with  his  heels,  they  decided  that  discretion 
was  the  better  part  of  valor  and  they  left  him  alone. 
Sailors  at  best  are  not  very  clever  horsemen. 

"Let  me  have  a  chance  and  I'll  quiet  him  for 
you,"  volunteered  Jim  gruffly.  "I  don't  want  to 
see  you  poor  fellows  eaten  alive." 

"My  lad,"  said  the  Skipper  solemnly,  "I'm  no 
spring  chicken  and  you  can't  catch  me  with  any 
such  chaff." 


CHAPTER  XI 

MISSOURI'S  MANOEUVRE 

The  other  three  horses  proved  more  tractable  than 
Caliente,  and  after  some  skirmishing  they  managed 
to  get  their  new  ships  rigged  up  with  the  saddles 
and  other  tackle.  Now  as  soon  as  they  got  their 
cargo  aboard,  they  would  be  prepared  to  set  sail 
and  to  cruise  over  the  plains.  (I  must  use  this 
nautical  language  out  of  respect  for  Captain 
Broom  and  his  crew.) 

As  I  have  said  before,  sailors  are  poor  horsemen 
and  when  it  came  to  making  fast  the  double 
cinches,  they  were  quite  at  sea,  where  sailors  should 
be,  perhaps.  Old  Pete  came  near  getting  his  head 
kicked  off  by  pulling  the  back  cinch  too  tight,  but 
he  and  Captain  Broom  profited  by  their  youthful 
experience  on  a  New  England  farm,  so  the  horses 
were  finally  all  saddled  and  bridled  and  ready  for  a 
flight — except  Caliente.  He  was  to  be  left  ma- 
rooned in  the  lonely  canyon. 

It  was  surprising  to  Jim  and  his  comrades  how 
quietly  Juarez's  roan  took  matters,  but  there  is  no 
relying  on  a  broncho,  because  he  always  does  the 
82 


MISSOURI'S  MAN(EUVRE  83 

unexpected,  and  the  Captain  was  so  pleased  with 
his  behavior  that  he  decided  to  ride  the  animal 
himself. 

"Now,  that's  what  I  call  a  well  broken  hoss," 
he  said.  "I  ain't  so  sure  of  the  black  so  I  will  let 
you  cruise  on  him,  Jack,  being  the  most  active. 
I  don't  know  what  I  shall  do  for  Pete,  unless  I 
can  find  him  a  rocking-horse." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  the  boys?" 
inquired  the  mate.  "Have  'em  walk?" 

"They  can  ride  their  pack  mule,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain grimly. 

So  Jo,  Juarez  and  Jim  were  securely  fastened 
on  the  patient  mule,  while  Tom  rode  behind  the 
mate  upon  his  own  horse,  but  no  longer  as  master. 
Then  the  queer  procession  started  up  the  trail 
through  the  dense  fog.  The  Captain  was  in  the  lead, 
followed  by  the  mate  with  Tom,  then  the  mule  with 
Pete  and  the  Mexican  dwarf  guarding  the  animal 
and  its  cargo,  while  the  active  Jack  Cales  was  the 
rear  guard.  It  was  exactly  twelve  o'clock  when 
they  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  from  the  harbor 
or  cove  in  the  mountain  canyon. 

The  three  boys  said  little  to  each  other.  They 
did  not  waste  their  breath  with  threats  of  what 
they  would  do  to  their  captors  later  on,  but  accepted 
the  situation  with  true  western  stoicism.  But  you 


84     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

may  be  sure  that  their  minds  were  active  even  if 
their  tongues  said  little. 

They  were  so  securely  tied  that  there  was  no 
chance  for  them  to  make  a  move  as  their  arms 
were  corded  tight  to  their  bodies  and  their  feet 
were  tied  under  the  belly  of  the  mule.  Unless  they 
had  been  experienced  riders  they  would  have  had 
a  difficult  time  of  it.  But  it  was  terribly  humiliat- 
ing, especially  under  the  insolence  of  the  malignant 
Mexican.  But  he  did  not  dare  do  them  any  actual 
injury,  because  the  Skipper  had  given  him  a  warn- 
ing which  he  did  not  dare  to  disregard.  Finally, 
old  Pete  put  an  end  to  his  slurring  remarks  to  the 
prisoners,  so  he  had  to  content  himself  with  ugly 
looks  and  frequent  expectoration  wherewith  to 
express  his  disgust. 

Before  they  reached  the  foot  of  the  trail,  Jack 
Cales  changed  with  Pete,  though  the  latter  de- 
murred at  first,  at  boarding  the  strange  black  craft 
with  four  legs,  but  finally  consented  under  the  urg- 
ing of  Jack  and  the  warm  recommendation  of  the 
boys,  who  had  taken  somewhat  of  a  fancy  to  the 
old  sailor,  since  'he  had  shut  up  the  Mexican  in 
their  behalf. 

"He  won't  hurt  you,  Pop,"  said  Jim,  "he  is  a 
good  horse.  Any  lady  could  ride  him." 

"I  ain't  no  lady,"  replied  the  old  fellow  suspi- 


MISSOURI'S  MANCEUVRE  85 

ciously,  as  he  slowly  and  stiffly  mounted,  while 
Jack  held  his  head,  that  is  to  say,  the  horse's 
head,  not  Pete's. 

"What  did  he  do  that  for?"  inquired  Pete, 
anxiously,  preparing  to  dismount. 

"Stay  on,  you  old  Barnacle,"  roared  the  Captain 
from  the  head  of  the  procession,  for  though  he 
could  not  see  anything  in  the  rear,  still  he  seerried 
able  to  keep  an  instinctive  tab  on  his  old  comrade 
Pete. 

"That  horse  is  all  right,  Pop,"  said  Jo,  "and  I 
ought  to  know.  I've  ridden  him  a  good  many 
hundred  miles.  Don't  tickle  him  with  your  heels, 
that's  all." 

"I  guess,  that's  what  I've  done,"  admitted  Pete. 

Then  the  procession  resumed  its  march  with 
Pete  as  rear  guard,  riding  with  due  caution  and 
circumspection  as  though  his  craft  was  loaded  with 
dynamite  and  liable  to  explode  at  any  time.  Jack 
Cales  tried  to  quiz  the  prisoners  on  the  mule  in  a 
friendly  way,  but  they  would  not  relax  in  their 
attitude  of  grim,  if  not  sullen,  defiance  towards 
their  captors. 

Captain  Broom  need  not  think  that  his  prisoners 
would  ever  accept  any  conditions  from  him. 
Doubtless,  he  thought  that  these  boys  might  be 
trained  to  help  him  in  his  business  for  he  appre- 


86     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

elated  their  courage  and  fighting  ability,  but  he  did 
not  fully  understand  what  stuff  the  frontier  boys 
were  made  of. 

The  procession  of  pirates  and  their  prisoners  had 
now  reached  the  foot  of  the  range  and  were  in  close 
proximity  to  the  ranch,  but  everything  favored  the 
plans  of  the  Skipper  of  the  Sea  Eagle.  The  fog 
became  denser  when  they  reached  the  level  plain 
so  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  for  the  rider  to  see 
the  ears  of  his  horse. 

Every  sound  was  deadened,  so  that  they  could 
have  gone  directly  past  the  ranch  houses  and  not 
even  the  dogs  would  have  heard  them.  But  the 
Captain  was  determined  to  take  no  chances,  and 
as  soon  as  the  party  were  free  of  the  canyon,  he 
bore  off  toward  the  south,  making  quite  a  circuit. 

Anybody  but  an  experienced  navigator  would 
have  been  lost  in  the  fog  upon  the  plain,  but  you 
could  not  lose  Captain  Broom  either  on  the  high 
seas  or  the  low  plains.  They  passed  between  two 
wooded  hills,  which  the  reader  will  have  to  take 
on  faith  as  he  cannot  see  them.  Then  across  a 
gully,  on  the  other  side  of  which  they  came  to  a 
barb  wire  fence. 

This  did  not  stop  them  long,  as  the  Captain  cut 
it  and  they  rode  through.  From  the  footing  which 
was  about  all  that  could  be  observed,  they  appeared 


MISSOURI'S  MANOEUVRE  87 

to  be  in  a  pasture  land  with  a  gentle  slope  towards 
the  sea.  The  fog  did  not  diminish  in  thickness  and 
the  boys  determined  to  escape.  Here  was  their 
chance,  if  they  could  be  said  to  have  one. 

"Here's  where  we  make  a  break,"  said  Jim  to 
Juarez.  "Guide  the  mule  alongside  of  Tom.  Then 
we  will  run  for  it."  Jim  did  not  say  this  in  so  many 
words,  but  he  had  ways  and  means  of  indicating  to 
Juarez,  who  was  tied  directly  back  of  him,  by  a  sign 
and  poke  language  which  Juarez  was  quick  to  seize. 

It  seemed  at  every  turn  that  his  experience  with 
the  Indians  was  a  help  to  him.  The  mule  was  a 
protege  of  Juarez  and  with  a  word  he  could  guide 
it  in  any  direction  that  he  wished  it  to  go.  The 
fog  was  one  thing  that  favored  them.  The  Mexi- 
can could  scarcely  be  seen  and  Jack  Cales  stalked 
along  looking  like  a  giant  through  the  mist. 

He  had  grown  somewhat  lax  through  the  long 
march.  This  was  the  time,  if  ever.  Jim  gave 
Juarez  the  signal  that  all  was  ready.  A  quick  word 
to  the  mule  and  he  trotted  out  from  his  place  in 
the  column,  knocking  over  the  Mexican  and  before 
Cales  was  fairly  awake  to  the  situation,  he  was 
obscured  by  the  fog. 

In  about  two  seconds  he  had  hove  alongside  of 
the  horse  that  the  mate  was  on.  Tom  was  foot- 
loose, and  no  sooner  did  he  see  Missouri's  long 


88      FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

ears  through  the  fog,  than  he  was  ready  for  action. 

"Jump,  Tom,"  urged  Jim.  It  took  only  about 
two  seconds  for  Tom  to  execute  the  manoeuvre. 

"Halt!"  roared  the  Captain,  and  he  tried  to  turn 
the  roan  to  capture  the  runaways,  but  right  here, 
the  broncho  strain  in  the  animal  showed  itself. 

He  began  to  buck  and  never  in  all  his  experience 
had  the  redoubtable  Captain  Broom  ever  been  on 
so  choppy  a  sea.  It  was  hard  to  distinguish  fog 
from  whiskers.  At  the  second  hunch  upward,  the 
Captain  shot  into  space.  The  boys  did  not  tarry  to 
watch  for  his  descent.  A  word  from  Juarez  to  the 
mule,  and  Missouri  turned  directly  south  just  as 
Jack  Cales  came  rushing  up. 

"Touch  him  with  your  foot,  Tom,"  said  Juarez, 
meaning  the  mule,  not  Cales.  Tom's  heel  reached 
the  right  spot  and  up  flew  the  mule's  hind  feet  with 
the  rapidity  of  a  rapid  fire-gun. 

One  foot  struck  Cales  on  the  shoulder  with  a 
sufficient  impact  to  send  him  down  and  out.  The 
mate  had  been  involved  in  the  cyclone  of  which 
Captain  Broom  was  the  centre.  Tom's  horse,  con- 
sidered the  gentlest  of  the  four,  had  become  in- 
fected with  the  roan's  example  and  he  started  in 
to  do  a  little  bucking  on  his  own  account.  Never 
since  the  mate  had  rounded  Cape  Horn,  had  he 
known  so  much  action  in  so  short  a  time. 


MISSOURI'S  MANOEUVRE  89 

The  only  one  left  was  Old  Pete  and  he  came  on 
right  gallantly,  but  by  dodging  and  turning  they 
got  away  in  the  fog.  After  putting  what  they  con- 
sidered a  safe  distance  between  themselves  and 
their  former  captors,  Juarez  persuaded  Missouri 
to  halt,  and  Tom  went  to  work  and  with  great 
difficulty  first  untied,  then  lifted,  them  to  the 
ground  for  the  boys  were  as  stiff  as  boards  from 
being  tied  hard  and  fast  for  so  long  a  time. 

"My,  but  it  certainly  hurts,"  said  Jo,  stamping 
around  in  an  endeavor  to  get  the  blood  to  circulat- 
ing again.  "It's  just  like  it  used  to  be  back  home 
in  the  winter  when  we  would  go  skating  and  get 
our  hands  numb." 

"What  is  the  matter,  Juarez?"  asked  Jim  in 
alarm. 

"Oh,  I'm  all  right,  I  guess,"  he  said  in  a  voice 
that  sounded  faint  to  the  boys  and  far  away  to  him- 
self. Then,  without  warning,  he  fell  over  on  the 
ground  and  stiffened  out. 

"It's  from  the  blow  that  the  greaser  gave  him," 
said  Tom.  "It  would  have  killed  him  if  it  had 
struck  him  fair." 

"Wait  until  I  get  my  hands  on  him,"  cried  Jim, 
significantly. 

What  should  they  do  now?  It  was  not  an  easy 
question  to  decide. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  RANCHERO 

They  could  not  desert  Juarez  and  they  could  not 
get  far  with  him.  It  was  enough  to  stagger  them 
and  it  seemed  that  they  had  reached  the  end  of  their 
resources. 

"If  it  wasn't  such  an  open  country,"  said  Jo, 
"we  might  hide  until  they  had  got  out  of  range  and 
then  get  to  the  nearest  ranch." 

"If  they  overtake  us  we  can  stand  them  off," 
saying  this  Jim  reached  for  his  revolver.  To  his 
astonishment  it  was  gone.  Then  he  remembered 
he  had  been  disarmed  by  Captain  Broom,  and  they 
were  absolutely  defenseless  unless  they  could  de- 
pend on  Missouri's  heels  which  had  furnished  them 
such  active  protection. 

Finally  they  brought  Juarez  around  so  that  he 
was  able  to  sit  up. 

"Where  am  I  ?"  he  asked  in  a  sort  of  daze. 

"You  will  be  all  right  in  a  minute,  old  chap,"  en- 
couraged Jim,  speaking  cheerfully,  but  he  did  not 

feel  so. 

90 


THE  RANCHERO  91 

"You  bet  I  will,"  he  assented  feebly,  but  with 
invincible  determination.  "What  are  you  holding 
me  for,  Jim?  Let's  get  at  those  fellows."  It  was 
evident  that  his  mind  was  not  exactly  clear  yet. 
They  got  him  on  his  feet  and  he  seemed  better, 
though  still  very  wabbly. 

"There  come  those  fellows,"  cried  Jim,  sud- 
denly, with  more  of  despair  in  his  tone  than  he  had 
ever  spoken  before,  no  matter  how  hard  pressed 
they  had  been.  But  before  there  had  always  been 
something  to  do,  but  now  they  were  helpless.  Jim 
looked  hastily  around  for  some  weapon.  All  he 
found  was  a  small  round  stone. 

With  a  yell  of  exultation,  Jack  Cales  and  the 
mate  dashed  down  upon  them,  followed  by  the  Cap- 
tain and  old  Pete.  They  had  been  able  to  follow 
the  distinctive  mark  of  the  mule's  shoes  in  the  soft 
earth  until  they  came  in  hearing  of  the  boys'  voices. 
Then  they  jumped  upon  them.  They  were  out  for 
blood  this  time,  for  they  had  the  boys'  revolvers  in 
their  hands,  probably  because  they  were  better  than 
their  own. 

Missouri,  finding  himself  free,  made  off.  Tom 
halted  when  covered  by  one  of  the  sailor's  revol- 
vers, but  Jim  dodged  as  the  mate  fired  at  him.  The 
lug  of  lead  spattered  the  mud  between  his  feet,  the 


92      FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

next  second  he  was  off  full  speed  through  the  fog, 
followed  by  fleet  Jo. 

The  sailors  soon  gave  up  the  useless  chase,  for 
there  was  no  trail  to  guide  them,  so  they  had  to 
content  themselves  with  half  of  their  original  cap- 
ture and  they  started  for  the  cove  where  the  Sea 
Eagle  was  anchored  as  fast  as  they  could  go, 
though  they  were  hampered  by  Juarez. 

"Better  leave  him,  Captain,"  urged  old  Pete. 
"He  is  nothing  but  a  nuisance." 

"I'll  have  use  for  that  fellow  yet,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain. "As  for  the  other  lad,  he  won't  feel  so  lively 
after  a  few  days  on  shipboard." 

This  did  not  have  a  very  cheerful  sound  for  Tom 
and  he  was  in  anything  but  a  happy  frame  of  mind. 
Still  he  had  great  confidence  in  Jim  and  did  not 
give  up  hope  of  being  rescued  before  the  coast  was 
reached.  It  was  now  getting  towards  daybreak, 
and  the  fog  began  to  lift  somewhat  so  that  they 
could  see  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty  yards. 

Captain  Broom's  gang  had  now  left  the  region 
of  the  level  pasture  and  were  coming  to  the  brush 
section,  fringing  the  coast,  and  beyond  that  they 
reached  the  sand  dunes.  The  nearer  they  came  to 
the  sea  the  more  depressed  Tom  became.  The  only 
thing  that  encouraged  him  was  the  fact  that  Juarez 
began  to  seem  like  himself. 


THE  RANCHERO  93 

Let  us  now  return  to  Jo  and  Jim,  who  had  been 
so  fortunate  as  to  make  their  escape.  As  soon  as 
they  were  sure  that  the  pursuit  was  at  an  end,  they 
slowed  down  to  a  walk. 

"Well,  they  didn't  give  us  much  of  a  chase," 
remarked  Jim. 

"Plenty  to  suit  me.  What  are  we  going  to  do 
now  ?" 

"This  fog  is  beginning  to  lift,"  said  Jim,  "and 
then  we  can  take  our  bearings.  I  want  to  locate 
this  ranch  the  first  thing,  and  then  we  can  get 
help." 

"Here's  a  wire  fence,"  announced  Jo,  "I  reckon 
it's  the  one  the  old  geser  cut." 

"It  surely  is  and  a  straight  course  north  is  our 
direction,"  remarked  Jim. 

"Here  are  hills  that  look  like  those  we  rode 
through,"  said  Jo. 

"We  will  soon  be  there  now,"  was  Jim's  cheer- 
ful comment  "What's  that?  It  sounds  like  a  dog 
barking."  They  stopped,  listening  intently,  as  the 
sound  came  faint,  but  there  was  no  mistaking  it. 

"I  suppose  it's  some  big  hound,  that  they  usually 
keep  on  these  ranches,"  said  Jo,  who  was  beginning 
to  feel  depressed  from  hunger  and  fatigue,  "and 
he  will  jump  at  us  because  we  haven't  any 
weapons." 


94      FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

But  in  spite  of  Jo's  fear  they  hurried  on  in  the 
direction  of  the  sound.  In  a  short  time,  they  came 
to  a  road  between  two  barb  wire  fences,  which  the 
reader  will  remember  that  the  Captain  and  his  crew 
took  when  they  were  coming  through  the  Sebastian 
ranch.  But  the  boys  struck  it  higher  up,  and  were 
soon  in  the  pasture  that  sloped  down  from  the  ranch 
houses  toward  the  road. 

Jim  and  Jo  now  heard  the  voices  of  men  as  well 
as  the  baying  of  the  dogs.  The  men  were  talking 
excitedly  about  the  finding  of  one  of  their  number 
in  the  canyon  tied  and  gagged,  and  it  was  evi- 
dent that  it  was  not  a  good  time  for  strangers  to 
visit  the  ranch  of  the  Sebastians. 

But  Jim  and  Jo  were  dulled  to  danger  and  did 
not  care  what  risk  they  ran  and  so  they  called  to  the 
men  in  a  friendly  Spanish  greeting.  There  was 
instantly  a  great  hubbub,  and  two  men  charged 
down  upon  them,  preceded  by  a  couple  of  fierce- 
looking  mongrels.  These  came  dashing  for  them 
with  red,  gaping  mouths.  The  boys  defended 
themselves  gallantly  with  two  stout  sticks  that  they 
had  picked  up.  Then  the  two  Mexicans  took  a 
hand. 

"Look  out,  Jo,"  cried  Jim,  who  was  ever  on  the 
alert.  "That  fellow  is  going  to  throw  his  lasso." 
Jo  dodged  just  in  the  nick  of  time,  but  this  gave 


THE  RANCHERO  95 

one  of  the  dogs  a  chance,  and  if  Jim  had  not 
stunned  him  by  a  resounding  crack  on  the  head  it 
would  have  gone  hard  with  his  brother. 

Just  then  another  man  appeared  on  the  scene,  at- 
tracted from  the  vicinity  of  the  house  by  the  noise 
of  the  encounter.  He  came  full  speed  on  a  splen- 
did sorrel.  It  was  Juan  Sebastian,  a  dark,  hand- 
some young  man,  a  true  son  of  Spain. 

What's  all  this  ?"  he  cried  as  he  rode  up.  "Here, 
Sancho,  Jan,  you  brutes,  come  off."  The  dogs 
slunk  obediently  to  heel. 

"We  found  those  insolent  Gringoes,"  said  one  of 
the  men,  "coming  straight  for  the  Senor's  house. 
We  undertook  to  stop  them." 

"Senor,"  said  Jim,  bowing  low  and  speaking  in 
his  best  Spanish,  "we  are  sorry,  my  brother  and  I, 
to  have  caused  this  disturbance.  We  are  stran- 
gers and  unfortunate,  and  we  have  heard  of  your 
hospitality,  Senor" — Jim  bowed  again.  He  was 
not  so  simple,  after  all. 

The  Senor  Sebastian  returned  the  bow  with 
more  grace  than  Jim  could  command. 

"I  regret,  Senor — "  he  hesitated. 

"Darlington,"  added  Jim. 

"Senor  Darlington,  that  you  have  been  at- 
tacked in  this  manner,  but  there  has  been  a  party 
of  desperadoes  that  have  been  overrunning  this 


96     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

part  of  the  country  for  the  past  two  days,  and 
they  took  one  of  my  men  and  bound  and  gagged 
him  and  so  you  see,  Senors,"  a  smile  and  bow 
completed  the  Spanish  gentleman's  apology  per- 
fectly. 

"We  have  just  escaped,  not  more  than  an  hour 
ago,  from  these  same  desperadoes,"  said  Jim. 
"They  have  taken  my  brother  and  friend  with 
them  towards  the  coast." 

"We  will  saddle  and  overtake  them,"  promised 
the  Senor,  "after  we  have  had  breakfast." 

Jim  was  stunned  by  this  gentle  sort  of  procrasti- 
nation. 

"But,  Senor,"  he  said  gravely,  "we  will  not  be 
able  to  overtake  them  if  we  do  not  start  immedi- 
ately. Pardon  my  abruptness,  but  I  cannot  rest 
while  there  are  two  of  my  party  prisoners  in  the 
hands  of  this  gang  of  cut-throats." 

"It  is  to  be  perfectly  understood,"  replied  the 
Spaniard  with  no  less  gravity,  "we  will  make 
haste,  but  first  we  will  eat  while  the  servants  are 
getting  two  of  the  horses  ready  for  you  and  your 
brother." 

This  was  not  Jim's  idea  of  making  haste  by  a 
long  shot,  but  he  was  enough  of  a  traveler  to 
recognize  that  the  ways  of  men  and  nations  differed 
and  that  nothing  was  to  be  gained  by  going 


THE  RANCHERO  97 

against  the  grain  of  a  national  characteristic.  So 
while  fuming  inwardly,  he  was  outwardly  quiet 
and  composed.  He  argued,  too,  that  it  was  not 
likely  the  pirate  gang  would  retain  the  captured 
prisoners.  Later,  when  they  were  themselves  at 
a  safe  distance  they  would  set  free  the  others. 

As  they  went  towards  the  house,  the  Spaniard 
dismounted  and  walked  with  them,  giving  his 
horse  into  the  charge  of  one  of  the  men,  with  di- 
rections to  bring  two  other  horses  to  the  house. 
There  was  an  unmistakable  courtesy  in  doing  this 
and  the  boys  appreciated  it.  They  could  not  help 
but  contrast  their  appearance  with  that  of  the 
Spaniard.  He  was  not  gaudily  dressed  like  a 
vaquero,  but  everything  he  wore  was  possessed 
of  a  certain  richness  and  was  not  lacking  in  color. 
He  truly  was  a  Prince  of  the  South  in  appearance 
as  well  as  in  courtesy. 

Jim  and  Jo  were  disreputable  beyond  words. 
Their  clothes  were  muddy,  torn  and  disheveled, 
their  faces  so  grimed  that  it  was  hard  to  tell  their 
original  color,  and  there  were  blotches  of  blood 
upon  their  clothes  as  well  as  faces  and  hands. 
But,  though  they  looked  worse  than  tramps,  there 
was  something  straightforward  in  their  manner 
and  their  way  of  speech  that  the  Spaniard  was 
quick  to  recognize. 


98     FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

As  they  walked  along  the  Spaniard  explained 
that  his  household  had  been  unusually  disturbed 
that  morning.  His  mother,  he  said,  was  an  in- 
valid, and  had  escaped  from  her  attendant.  Some 
mental  trouble,  he  briefly  mentioned  as  the  cause 
of  the  elderly  lady's  worriment.  Evidently,  he  did 
not  connect  the  tragedy  in  his  own  life,  in  which 
his  father's  life  was  sacrificed,  with  the  boys'  an- 
tagonist. His  mother,  he  assured  them,  had  been 
found  and  was  returned  to  her  home. 

The  boys  now  had  a  good  view  of  the  house, 
as  they  approached  it.  The  fog  having  lifted, 
they  could  take  in  the  whole  situation.  The  struc- 
ture itself  was  of  adobe,  of  the  early  California 
type,  low,  with  broad  verandas,  and  built  on  four 
sides  around  a  court  with  a  fountain  in  the  cen- 
tre, with  fish  in  the  basin,  and  grass  around  it. 
There  were  beautiful  rose-tree  bushes  with  gold 
and  red  clusters  growing  over  the  corners  of  the 
house. 

From  the  verandah  there  was  a  beautiful  view 
looking  off  over  the  surrounding  country.  The 
house  itself  stood  on  a  rise  of  ground  that  sloped 
gently  from  the  plain  below.  Back  of  it  rose  the 
mountains  of  the  coast  range,  while  in  the  distance 
glittered  the  broad  breadths  of  the  Pacific,  shining 


THE  RANCHERO  99 

like  an  azure  floor.  As  far  as  eye  could  see  was 
the  domain  of  this  great  ranch.  It  was,  indeed,  a 
princely  estate,  and  one  of  which  the  Senor  Se- 
bastian might  well  be  proud.  Those  were  the  days 
of  romance  and  of  charm  in  the  land  of  Southern 
California. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

A   NEW   FRIEND 

The  servants  eyed  the  two  boys  curiously  as 
they  stepped  upon  the  verandah  and  the  brothers 
were  not  reassured  by  any  looks  of  friendliness, 
though  they  were  outwardly  courteous.  A  with- 
ered looking  old  woman,  who  looked  to  Jim  as 
though  she  had  Indian  blood  showed  the  boys  to 
a  room,  where  they  could  wash  up. 

"Jove!  Doesn't  it  dazzle  your  eyes,  Jo?"  ex- 
claimed Jim,  "to  see  a  real  room,  with  a  bed  and 
a  white  spread,  with  those  starched  things  where 
the  pillows  ought  to  be." 

"This  room  would  certainly  please  Aunt 
Maria,"  remarked  Jo.  "That  four  poster  bed 
with  the  canopy  over  it,  is  an  old  timer,  I'll  war- 
rant you." 

"If  I  slept  in  this  room,"  said  Jim,  "I  would 
make  a  low  bow  to  the  bed  and  then  roll  up  in  my 
blanket  and  go  to  sleep  on  the  floor." 
."How    do    I    look?"    asked   Jo,    after    he    had 
100 


A  NEW  FRIEND  101 

rubbed   and  scrubbed  his   face   for  a  long  time. 

"You  have  got  off  the  first  layer,"  replied  Jim, 
"and  look  about  the  color  of  a  half-breed.  Let 
me  try  my  hand  at  polishing  up." 

"It  will  take  you  a  week,"  remarked  Jo  discour- 
agingly. 

It  cannot  be  truly  said  that  they  looked  orna- 
mental even  when  they  were  clean,  for  Jim's  face 
was  badly  torn,  one  side  of  it  being  scraped  raw. 
He  got  this  memento  when  he  tackled  the  Captain 
and  fell  down  into  the  canyon  with  him.  One 
eye  was  blackened  and  the  other  cheek  bruised. 
These  disadvantages  were  not  to  be  overcome  in 
a  short  time. 

Jo  was  somewhat  more  presentable,  but  he,  too, 
showed  signs  of  the  rough  time  that  they  had  had 
with  the  Captain  and  his  "merry"  crew.  But  in 
spite  of  all  this,  there  was  something  in  their  bear- 
ing, an  honest  hardihood  and  manliness  that  could 
not  be  discounted  by  torn  clothes  and  bruised 
faces. 

"This  room  looks  dirty,  now,"  said  Jo,  "I'm 
ashamed  to  leave  it  like  this." 

"We  will  go  outside  to  brush  off  our  clothes," 
proposed  Jim,  "and  I'm  going  to  empty  this  dirty 
water  myself."  He  started  out  with  it  when  he 
met  one  of  the  servants  in  the  hall.  With  many 


explanations,  numerous  gestures  and  much  ex- 
citement, she  took  the  pail  from  Jim  and  disap- 
peared with  it. 

"They  won't  let  you  do  anything  for  yourself 
here,  Jo,"  reported  Jim,  returning  to  the  room. 

This  was  correct  and  the  boys  noticed  after- 
wards that  the  servants  regarded  them  with  odd 
expressions  of  amusement  and  it  was  evident  to 
the  sensitive  Jo  that  they  were  being  "guyed"  by 
them,  to  use  a  modern  expression.  The  boys 
being  American  lads,  were  self-reliant,  and  were 
accustomed  to  do  everything  for  themselves,  and, 
unknowingly  they  had  gone  counter  to  a  custom 
of  constant  service  of  the  Spaniards.  It  was  to 
demean  oneself,  according  to  their  code,  to  do  any 
menial  work. 

"Might  as  well  start  for  the  dining  room,"  pro- 
posed Jo.  "I  hate  leaving  Tom  and  Juarez  to 
their  fate  this  way." 

"I  more  than  hate  it,"  protested  Jim,  "but  as 
you  can't  hurry  these  people,  we  will  make  the 
best  time  by  falling  in  with  their  way  of  doing 
business." 

Then  they  went  out  into  a  passageway  and,  tak- 
ing the  wrong  turn,  which  was  quite  easy  in  the 
rambling  old  house,  they  came  to  a  door  that  en- 
tered into  the  courtyard. 


A  NEW  FRIEND  103 

"My,  but  this  is  beautiful/'exclaimed  Jo.  "It 
makes  you  appreciate  California  better  when  you 
see  a  place  like  this." 

"That  hammock  looks  good  to  me,"  said  Jim. 
"I  would  like  to  stretch  out  in  it  right  now." 

Just  then  the  door  opened  on  the  verandah  and  a 
really  beautiful  young  girl  stepped  out.  She  was 
probably  seventeen  years  of  age,  dressed  in  white, 
with  a  black  mantilla  over  her  equally  black  hair 
and  her  dark  cheeks  glowed  with  color.  A  very 
romantic  meeting,  Messieurs,  the  gallant  young 
Americans  at  one  end  of  the  verandah  and  the 
Senorita  at  the  other.  Then  she  saw  Jim  and 
Jo  with  their  scarred  and  bruised  faces.  With  a 
little  shriek,  and  clasping  her  hand  to  her  eyes, 
she  retreated  quickly  to  her  room. 

"What  did  you  do  to  scare  that  girl,  Jo?"  in- 
quired Jim  severely  of  his  brother. 

"Nothing,"  declared  Jo,  stoutly.  "It  was  the 
sight  of  your  face.  It  would  give  a  wooden  Injun 
a  chill."  Jim  felt  of  the  said  face  reflectively. 

"I  guess  you  are  right,  Jo,"  he  admitted,  "but 
you  ain't  so  charming  in  appearance  that  you 
would  do  any  damage." 

"Let's  walk  along  this  side,"  proposed  Jo. 
"Perhaps  we  will  locate  the  breakfast." 

"All  right,"  agreed  Jim. 


104   FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

So  they  stalked  along,  more  or  less  conscious! 
that  a  pair  of  dark  blue  eyes  were  regarding  them, 
and  they  thought  they  heard  a  trill  of 
laughter,  but  it  might  have  been  one  of  the  maids. 
They  need  not  have  felt  embarrassed  for  there 
was  the  grace  in  their  movements  that  goes  with 
strength  and  youth  and  suppleness. 

They  were  walking  under  a  perfect  bower  of 
flowers  anyway.  For  this  side  was  beautifully  lat- 
ticed and  over  the  lattice  work  grew  vines  with 
purple  and  golden  flowers,  that  would  give  a 
grateful  shade  when  the  California  sun  would 
drive  the  fog  away. 

Under  foot  there  was  a  double  flagging  of 
stone  with  trodden  dirt  on  either  side. 

"I  don't  see  a  broom  anywhere,"  said  Jo. 

Just  then  they  heard  the  voice  of  Senor  Sebas- 
tian behind  them  and  they  turned  quickly. 

"I  had  begun  to  fear,  Senors,  that  you  had  be- 
come lost  again." 

"We  were,  partially,  Senor." 

"Our  simple  breakfast  is  ready  now  if  you  are," 
he  said. 

"We  will  have  to  brush  the  dirt  off  before  we 
can  go  in,"  protested  Jim. 

"Antonio  bring  a  brush,"  called  the  Senor.  In 
a  moment  a  gray-haired,  bent  Mexican  came  with 


A  NEW  FRIEND  105 

a  big  kitchen  broom.  Instantly  the  Senor  flushed 
with  anger. 

"Stupid  one,  my  guests  are  not  my  horses. 
Have  a  care." 

A  suspicion  flashed  through  Jim's  mind  that 
the  ancient  servitor  had  brought  the  broom  on 
purpose.  It  was  clear  that  the  servants  did  not 
have  a  very  high  opinion  of  their  American  vis- 
itors. The  next  time  he  returned  he  had  gotten 
the  right  brush,  and  made  a  point  of  sneezing  as 
the  dust  flew  from  their  mud-dried  clothes.  This 
made  Jim  laugh  in  spite  of  himself. 

"More  dust  than  the  Sirocco  brings,"  said  Jim. 
The  old  servitor  regarded  him  with  a  cunning  eye. 

"Si,  Senor,"  he  said,  then  he  was  seized  with  a 
perfect  convulsion  of  sneezing.  This  aroused  his 
master's  ire. 

"No  more  of  that,  Antonio,"  he  commanded, 
"or  it  will  be  the  lash."  Antonio's  cold  was  cured 
from  that  moment.  Jim's  mouth  twitched  at  the 
corners  with  the  humor  of  it  but  he  did  not  laugh 
now  for  that  would  be  discourteous  to  his  host. 

Finally  the  brushing  was  finished  to  the  regret 
of  the  servants,  who  had  kept  an  amused  eye  on 
Antonio's  performance,  while  pretending  to  be 
busy  on  some  trivial  tasks  near  the  Patio  or 
court.  In  her  own  room,  the  Senorita  was  faint 


io6    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

with  laughter  as  she  watched  Antonio  dusting  the 
two  American  lads. 

It  was  a  simple  breakfast  that  the  boys  found 
prepared  for  them  in  a  long,  low  dining-room, 
with  its  dark  beams  and  white  plastered  walls^ 
The  coffee  was  excellent,  with  a  delicate  aroma, 
and  was  probably  the  best  that  Mexico  could 
afford.  There  was  a  large  plate  of  meat  gar- 
nished with  peppers,  and  a  mixed  dish  of  vege- 
tables that  looked  odd,  but  that  tasted  deliciously. 
You  may  be  sure  that  Jim  and  Jo  appreciated  their 
meal,  and  they  felt  invigorated  when  it  was  fin- 
ished, wishing  all  the  while,  however,  that  they 
were  on  the  trail  of  their  captured  comrades. 

"Now,  Senors,  the  horses  are  at  the  door.  They 
are  spirited,  but  I  am  sure  that  you  ride  well." 

This  was  a  mere  expression  of  courtesy  on  his 
part,  for  he  did  not  expect  any  such  thing  and 
thought  to  see  his  guests  fall  off  if  the  horses 
should  rise  on  their  hind  legs,  as  they  no  doubt 
would,  for  there  was  not  a  horse  on  the  big  rancho 
but  what  was  peppery  and  spirited.  No  sooner 
had  the  Senor  spoke  than  Jim  jumped  to  his  feet, 
putting  his  hand  to  his  head. 

"I  have  forgotten  about  Caliente !"  he  exclaimed. 
"It  is  my  horse,  Senor,"  he  explained  to  his  host 


A  NEW  FRIEND  107 

"He  is  up  the  canyon  because  the  gang  that  at- 
tacked us  last  night  were  afraid  of  him." 

"I  will  send  for  him,"  said  the  Senor. 

"By  the  pool  in  the  pocket,"  said  Jim.  "But  I 
think  I  ought  to  get  him  myself,  though  I  appre- 
ciate your  offer,  but  one's  horse,  you  know — " 

"I  understand  perfectly." 

"I  cannot  leave  him  without  food  and  water," 
said  Jim. 

"I  will  attend  to  that.  I  will  send  a  trustworthy 
man,"  and  he  spoke  to  the  servant  who  was  wait- 
ing on  the  table.  In  a  short  time  he  returned 
with  a  tall,  sinewy  man,  with  straight  black  hair 
and  dark  skin.  He  gave  this  man  the  necessary 
instructions  and  with  a  "Si,  Senor,"  the  man  went 
out. 

"A  good  reliable  fellow,"  remarked  Jim.  "He 
looks  like  an  Indian." 

"He  is  an  Indian,"  replied  their  host,  "but  of 
the  right  kind.  Your  horse  is  in  good  hands." 

"Tell  him  to  bring  him  down  to  the  ranch,"  said 
Jim.  "I'll  trust  Caliente  with  him."  The  Indian 
was  called  'back  and  under  his  stolid  demeanor 
was  an  appreciation  of  Jim's  confidence. 

Breakfast  over  they  went  out  on  the  verandah, 
where  they  could  see  the  horses.  They  were  spir- 
ited looking  beasts  all  right.  One  was  a  bay,  the 


io8    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

two  front  legs  white  stockinged,  very  trimly  built, 
with  a  flashing  eye,  that  he  kept  rolling  around. 
The  boy  who  was  holding  him  had  his  hands  full, 
as  the  bay  would  rise  on  his  hind  legs  and  strike 
out  viciously  with  his  forefeet. 

The  other  animal  was  much  heavier  than  the 
bay.  A  brilliant  black,  whose  coat  fairly  shone 
with  careful  grooming.  He  had  been  standing 
comparatively  quiet  until  the  three  appeared  upon 
the  verandah  of  the  house,  then,  with  a  sudden 
surge  backward,  he  dragged  the  Mexican  boy  off 
his  feet,  shaking  his  head  viciously.. 

"We  ought  to  be  armed,  Senor,"  advised  Jim. 
"If  we  should  overtake  those  men,  they  will  put 
up  a  desperate  fight." 

"Certainly,  Senor,"  he  answered.  "Come  into 
this  room  and  select  your  weapon." 

After  both  Jim  and  Jo  were  armed,  they  went 
out  to  the  horses. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   PURSUIT 

All  the  servants  seemed  just  now  to  find  duties 
of  importance  in  front  of  the  house  or  near  it. 
They  had  no  idea  of  missing  the  chance  of  seeing 
these  Gringoes,  whom  they  held  in  contempt, 
thrown  from  their  horses. 

Jim  took  the  black  and  Jo  was  left  the  red,  the 
easiest  to  manage  even  if  he  seemed  the  liveliest. 
Jo  was  too  quick  for  his  horse  and  before  he 
could  whirl  to  one  side,  he  was  in  the  saddle. 
Then  his  animal  reared  and  plunged  but  Jo  sat 
on  him  as  easily  as  a  cowboy  does  his  steed.  There 
was  no  mistaking  his  horsemanship.  The  serv- 
ants were  duly  and  deeply  disappointed. 

But  their  hopes  revived  when  they  saw  Jim 
tackle  the  black.  He  began  that  steady  sideways 
movement  which  Jim  knew  so  well,  whenever  he 
tried  to  put  his  foot  in  the  stirrup.  The  servants 
began  to  smile,  here  would  be  some  fun.  The 
"Black  Devil,"  as  they  called  the  horse,  had  been 

known  to  kill  men,  so  they  had  pleasant  anticipa- 
109 


I io    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

tions.  When  Jim  found  that  he  could  not  mount 
by  the  stirrup,  he  made  a  quick,  powerful  leap 
and  was  in  the  saddle. 

"Bravo!"  cried  the  Senor  Sebastian,  but  he 
knew  that  the  fight  had  just  begun. 

Jo  looked  on  with  interest  and  perfect  confi- 
dence in  brother  Jim's  ability.  The  black  stood 
perfectly  stunned  for  a  moment  or  two  at  being 
so  suddenly  mounted,  then  he  sprang  into  action. 
With  his  back  in  a  hump  he  shot  into  the  air  and 
came  down  stiff-legged. 

Without  loss  of  a  second  he  went  into  the  air 
again,  higher  than  before.  From  the  corral  the 
Mexican  cowboys  were  looking  at  the  duel  between 
the  horse  and  the  boy  with  lively  interest. 

"The  Diablo  will  kill  him,"  said  one  nonchal- 
antly, blowing  a  puff  of  smoke  from  his  cigarette. 

"Five  dollars  that  the  Gringo  stays  on,"  said  a 
second.  The  wager  was  made  and  others  fol- 
lowed, for  the  Mexicans  are  inveterate  gamblers. 
The  third  time  the  horse  pitched  into  the  air, 
Jim  swaying  with  the  animal's  every  motion  as  the 
trained  cowboy  does.  Finding  that  he  could  not 
dislodge  his  rider  that  way,  the  black  rose  on  his 
hind  legs  to  a  perpendicular  position. 

Jim  knew  the  trick  of  old,  and  was  prepared  for 
it.  As  the  horse  started  to  fall  backwards,  Jim 


THE  PURSUIT  in 

who  had  been  sticking  like  a  leech,  leaped  lightly 
to  the  ground  and  with  all  his  strength,  pulling 
upon  the  bridle,  slammed  him  to  the  ground.  No 
sooner  was  the  horse  upon  his  feet  again  than  Jim 
was  in  the  saddle. 

Once  more  he  tried  that  falling  back  trick  and 
this  time  Jim  brought  him  down  upon  the  damp 
earth  with  a  thud  that  jarred  things.  The  black 
devil  had  had  enough.  He  stood  quivering  and 
sweating,  but  for  the  time  being  subdued. 

"Bravo!"  cried  the  Senor  Sebastian  again,  and 
he  shook  his  guest  by  the  hand  warmly.  "You 
are  a  true  horseman.  Now  we  shall  go.  We 
shall  eat  up  the  miles." 

The  crowd  of  cowboys  swung  their  hats  in  a 
salute  to  the  Gringo,  who  could  conquer  the  black 
devil,  while  the  house  servants,  disappointed  at 
the  stranger's  triumph,  went  back  to  their  differ- 
ent tasks. 

The  three  horsemen  galloped  away  down  the 
sloping  pasture,  the  Spaniard  in  advance  as  he 
knew  the  country  and  the  most  direct  way  to  the 
coast.  His  horse  was  a  splendid  sorrel,  somewhat 
taller  than  the  horse  that  Jim  rode.  And  he  was 
a  gallant  figure  in  his  leather  riding  suit  and 
peaked  sombrero  with  a  brilliant  colored  band 
around  it. 


H2  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

Jim  and  Jo  rode  a  few  yards  behind  the  Span- 
iard and  side  by  side.  Jim  felt  a  certain  exulta- 
tion in  his  victory  over  the  Black  before  people 
who  would  have  liked  to  have  seen  him  defeated. 
It  was  exhilarating,  too,  this  plunging  gallop 
ahead  with  a  chance  to  rescue  Tom  and  Juarez 
and  to  get  even  with  Captain  Broom  and  his  gang, 
who  had  taken  away  their  valuables  and  had  given 
the  boys  such  a  cruel  defeat. 

"This  is  a  fine  horse,"  said  Jim,  "though  he 
hasn't  the  stride  of  Caliente." 

"He  is  a  beauty,  when  it  comes  to  bucking,*' 
Jo  commented.  "There  is  nothing  the  matter 
with  this  bay  but  my  black  can  beat  him  for 
speed." 

So  they  flew  on,  the  speed  of  their  steeds  blowing 
back  their  horses'  manes,  and  the  fresh  air  from 
the  sea  bringing  a  feeling  of  hope  to  their 
hearts,  that  they  would  yet  be  able  to  overtake 
the  prates,  and  rescue  their  comrades  in  dis- 
tress. Their  horses'  feet  were  devouring  the 
miles. 

"We  stand  a  chance  to  get  'em  at  this  rate," 
shouted  Jim. 

"Won't  it  be  fine  if  we  can  all  sit  down  to 
dinner  tonight?"  replied  Jo.  "I  bet  that  Tom  and 
Juarez  would  enjoy  a  square  meal  with  the  Senor 


THE  PURSUIT  113 

at  the  ranch  house.  It's  kind  of  nice  to  be  civ- 
ilized once  in  a  while." 

"You're  right,  it  is,"  declared  Jim  emphatically. 

"I  wonder  if  there  isn't  a  store  around  here 
where  we  could  buy  some  clothes,"  inquired  Jo, 
anxiously.  "We  look  too  disreputable  to  appear 
in  oolite  society." 

"Thinking  about  that  girl,  I  suppose?"  re- 
marked Jim  with  brotherly  intuition. 

"I  wouldn't  be  so  sure  if  I  were  you,"  replied 
Jo  evasively.  "How  about  the  Senorita  down 
in  Mexico  who  threw  you  the  rose  at  the  castfe?" 
This  reference  to  the  Senorita  Cordova  whom 
the  Frontier  Boys  had  rescued  in  Mexico,  checked 
Jim  from  getting  too  gay  for  he  still  had  a  tender 
place  in  his  memory  for  her. 

The  fog  by  this  time  was  entirety  dissipated, 
and  they  could  see  by  certain  white  or  rather  light 
spots  in  the  clouds  where  the  sun  was  going  to 
break  through  and  an  absolutely  clear  day  would 
result.  The  three  riders  had  now  reached  die 
brush  region  that  began  a  few  miles  from  the 
coast  and  they  were  compelled  to  go  more 
slowly. 

But  if  they  had  only  known  what  was  going  on 
not  more  than  two  miles  away  from  where  they 
were,  they  would  not  have  slackened  speed  no 


H4  FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

matter  what  risk  they  ran.  For  Captain  Broom 
and  his  crew  with  the  two  captives  had  arrived  at 
the  cove  and  old  Pete  and  Jack  Cales  were  going 
into  the  cave  for  the  boat. 

There  was  a  chance,  but  the  Senor  and  his  com- 
panions must  hurry.  Some  mishap  to  the  pirates' 
expedition  just  at  this  point  and  the  frontier  boys 
would  win.  Tom  and  Juarez  might  have  sung  the 
tune  that  they  had  often  sung  before  in  camp. 

"Tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  the  boys  are  marching, 
Cheer  up,  comrades,  they  will  come, 

And  beneath  the  starry  flag 

We  will  breathe  the  air  again 

Of  freedom  in  our  own  beloved  home." 

But  they  did  not  know  and  they  sat  miserable 
and  dejected  upon  the  damp  sand  of  the  beach, 
not  knowing  that  Jim  and  Jo  were  coming  nearer 
every  second.  Then  there  came  an  accident, 
though  a  slight  one,  that  gave  the  pursuers  a 
chance. 

Old  Pete  was  carrying  one  end  of  the  boat.  He 
was  nervous,  anyway,  in  regard  to  the  cave  and 
its  grewsome  contents,  thought  he  saw  some  dark 
spectre  coming  for  him  out  of  the  blackness  of  the 
cave  and  he  dropped  his  end  of  the  boat  and 
scudded  for  the  beach. 


THE  PURSUIT  115 

The  Captain  was  furious,  giving  him  a  blow 
that  sent  him  spinning  half  way  down  to  the 
water,  and  he  and  the  mate  rushed  back  to  see 
what  damage  the  boat  had  suffered.  It  was  only 
slightly  stove  in,  but  every  second  was  precious. 
The  pursuers  were  only  a  mile  away. 

Jim  began  to  grow  restless  as  they  neared  the 
coast.  He  seemed  to  feel  that  they  were  nearing 
the  enemy,  and  at  his  urging,  the  Spaniard,  who 
had  an  increased  respect  and  liking  for  Jim  ever 
since  he  had  conquered  Black  Diablo,  put  his  horse 
to  the  gallop,  and  away  they  went  along  the  nar- 
row winding  path  through  the  bushes. 

The  branches  whipt  them,  but  they  paid  no  at- 
tention, but  on  they  went;  it  was  evident  that  they 
made  considerable  racket  and  Captain  Broom, 
with  a  fierce  burst  of  energy  for  which  he  was 
famous,  got  the  boat  launched,  the  two  prisoners 
in,  and  with  himself  and  the  mate  at  the  oars, 
made  the  boat  leap  forward  over  the  lazy  rolling 
swell  towards  the  graceful  Sea  Eagle. 

When  they  had  reached  a  point  half-way  to  the 
vessel,  the  horsemen  came  tearing  through  the 
last  screen  of  brush  onto  the  yellow  sand.  The 
enemy  had  escaped  by  the  skin  of  its  teeth  and  it 
was  heart-rending  to  see  Tom  and  Juarez  being 


ii6    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

carried  away  from  them  at  every  stroke  of  the 
oars  towards  their  black  prison.  Jim  put  up  his 
hands  to  his  mouth  and  yelled: 

"We  will  rescue  you,  boys.  Don't  give  up. 
We'll  get  'em  yet." 

A  derisive  yell  greeted  this  challenge  and  one  of 
the  men  in  the  boat  fired  at  the  group  on  the 
shore,  but  the  bullet  fell  harmlessly  short.  They 
did  not  dare  to  fire  in  return  lest  they  hit  either 
Tom  or  Juarez. 

"They  have  steam  up  on  board,"  observed  Jim. 
"But  I  see  one  chance  to  do  some  execution." 

It  was  this.  The  Sea  Eagle  was  anchored  close 
under  a  cliff  on  the  northern  side  of  the  cove.  So 
Jim  slipped  off  his  horse,  for  the  way  on  that  side 
was  impracticable  except  on  foot.  It  was  hard 
going  at  that,  especially  as  there  were  a  good 
many  cacti  with  their  wretched  thorns. 

Jim  stepped  gingerly  along  over  the  rocks,  glid- 
ing through  the  bushes  until  at  last  he  reached 
a  point  above  the  vessel  where  he  could  almost 
look  down  upon  her  decks.  The  boat  from  the 
shore  had  just  come  alongside  and  the  prisoners 
were  hustled  into  the  cabin  and  the  door  locked. 
Tom  and  Juarez  were  a  dejected-looking  pair  and 
it  made  Jim's  heart  ache  to  see  them. 

The  Captain  went  upon  the  quarter-deck    and 


THE  PURSUIT  117 

gave  an  order  to  the  man  at  the  wheel.  The 
anchor  had  already  been  weighed.  Slowly  and 
gracefully  the  Sea  Eagle  turned,  and  there  stood 
Captain  Broom,  as  big  as  life  upon  the  bridge. 
Why  did  not  Jim  fire?  Because  he  had  come  to 
a  certain  wise  conclusion. 


CHAPTER  XV 

JIM    AND    THE   SEA   EAGLE 

As  Jim  had  raised  his  revolver  to  fire,  a  sudden 
idea  came  to  him.  In  the  first  place  he  rebelled 
instinctively  from  shooting  a  man  down  in  cold 
blood  from  ambush,  even  if  he  was  as  desperate 
and  crime-stained  a  character  as  Captain  Bill 
Broom,  besides  it  would  not  save  Tom  and  Juarez 
and  only  make  their  captivity  harder  to  endure, 
if  any  injury  was  done  the  Captain. 

Another  thing,  Jim  was  sure  that  if  he  began 
the  attack  that  his  two  comrades  would  be  used 
as  shields  to  protect  the  man  at  the  wheel,  so  that 
the  Sea  Eagle  could  be  navigated  safely  out  of  the 
cove.  He  saw  with  interest  the  narrow  place  be- 
tween two  lines  of  foam  above  hidden  ledges 
where  the  boat  must  pass  in  order  to  reach  the 
open  sea.  He  marvelled  at  the  temerity  of  Cap- 
tain Broom  in  daring  to  bring  his  ship  through 
such  a  place. 

Then  a  brilliant  thought  came  to  him,  a  sudden 

stroke  that  might  turn  defeat  into  victory.     The 
118 


JIM  :AND  THE  SEA  EAGLE  119 

Sea  Eagle  was  now  making  straight  for  the  nar- 
row channel.  Jim  slipped  back  for  a  short  dis- 
tance an  ran  as  rapidly  as  he  could  to  a  point 
a  little  to  the  west  of  where  he  had  first  hidden. 
He  did  not  have  long  to  wait.  The  Sea  Eagle 
was  almost  directly  opposite  his  place  of  ambush, 
and  was  just  sticking  her  nose  into  the  narrow 
passage. 

Jim  raised  his  revolver  and  took  careful  aim 
and  fired.  The  man  at  the  wheel  gave  a  yell  and 
clapped  his  hand  to  the  shoulder,  letting  go  the 
wheel  and  the  nose  of  the  little  steamer  swung 
toward  the  rock.  A  swell  lifted  her  bow  clear 
by  a  few  inches,  and  the  Captain  caught  the 
steamer  by  the  wheel  and  brought  her  to  a  course. 

"Bring  those  boys  up  on  deck  and  shoot  them 
if  that  black-haired  devil,"  (meaning  Jim)  "fires 
another  shot,"  he  called  to  the  mate. 

That  worthy  was  not  slow  to  obey  the  order, 
he  had  them  on  deck  in  full  sight  in  a  jiffy  and 
held  a  pistol  at  Tom's  head.  Jim  had  raised  his 
arm  to  fire  at  the  Captain  when  he  heard  his  order 
and  it  was  as  if  he  had  been  paralyzed.  He  knew 
that  Tom  and  Juarez  would  have  been  killed  to  a 
certainty  if  he  fired  another  shot. 

Luck  had  broken  against  him  again,  for  that 
was  all  that  had  kept  the  Sea  Eagle  from  going  on 


120    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

the  reef,  where  if  she  had  not  been  wrecked,  she 
and  her  crew  would  have  been  at  the  mercy  of  the 
men  on  shore.  Just  the  lifting  of  the  wave  had 
saved  the  vessel  by  a  few  inches,  that,  and  Captain 
Broom's  quick  and  skillful  action. 

The  second  round  of  the  contest  had  gone  in 
favor  of  the  pirate  and  his  crew,  but  only  by  a 
shade  as  it  were.  But  it  would  not  surprise  me  a 
bit  if  Jim  evened  up  matters  in  the  third  and  final 
round.  Let  us  hope  so,  at  least,  for  that  will  give 
a  silver  lining  to  the  black  cloud  that  had  rolled 
over  the  boys'  fortunes  at  this  particular  time. 

Jim  made  his  way  slowly  back  to  where  Jo  and 
the  Senor  were  waiting  for  him  on  the  beach.  He 
was  despondent  over  the  failure  of  his  plans  by  so 
close  a  margin,  and  the  sight  of  Tom  and  Juarez 
helpless  on  the  deck  in  the  hands  of  these  sea- 
coast  pirates,  was  always  before  his  eyes. 

"What  were  you  trying  to  do,  Jim?"  inquired 
Jo,  "Sink  the  ship?"  Before  Jim  could  reply,  the 
Spaniard  gave  a  cry  of  warning. 

"Look  out,  they  are  going  to  shoot." 

Glancing  toward  the  Sea  Eagle,  which  was  now 
a  half  mile  from  shore,  they  saw  a  puff  of  smoke, 
and  then  a  shell  struck  into  the  beach  below  them 
and  exploding,  sent  a  shower  of  sand  over  them 
and  the  horses.  The  latter,  frightened,  reared  and 


JIM  AND  THE  SEA  EAGLE  121 

plunged,  but  the  boys  soon  got  their  animals  under 
control,  as  they  quickly  tired  of  acting  up  in  the 
heavy  sand.  Jim  shook  his  fist  in  the  direction  of 
the  Sea  Eagle. 

"Curse  your  insolence!"  he  yelled.  "I'll  make 
every  one  of  you  eat  crow,  you  miserable 
hounds!" 

Jim  looked  ugly,  his  eyes  glared  with  concen- 
trated fury  and  the  veins  on  his  temple  were  swollen 
and  throbbing.  Unthinkingly,  he  pulled  back 
hard  upon  the  bit,  sending  his  horse  up  in  the  air. 

"Easy,  boy,"  he  said,  soothingly.  "Easy.  It 
was  my  fault  for  yanking  you." 

When  the  horse  was  quieted,  Jim  was  cooled 
down  to  his  normal  temperature,  and  he  told  his 
comrades  of  his  attack  upon  the  Sea  Eagle  and 
how  it  had  turned  out. 

"Senor  Darlington,"  said  the  Spaniard  impress- 
ively, "I  will  take  off  my  hat  to  you.  You  are  a 
natural  General.  Take  my  advice,  my  friend, 
and  go  to  Spain.  There  you  might  head  a  revo- 
lution and  in  time  rise  to  high  mark." 

"I  appreciate  your  praise  deeply,  Senor  Sebas- 
tian," responded  Jim,  "but  my  own  country, 
Senor,  I  could  not  leave  it  for  another." 

"Right,  Senor,"  replied  the  Spaniard,  "you  have 
the  true  spirit." 


122    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"Which  way  will  she  turn,  do  you  suppose?" 
asked  Jo,  pointing  to  the  vessel  that  was  moving 
steadily  out  on  the  Pacific  in  a  straight  line  from 
the  shore. 

"To  the  North,  doubtless,"  replied  the  Spaniard. 

"Wherever  she  goes  we  must  find  her  out," 
said  Jim,  with  grim  determination. 

"I  wish  we  could  follow  them,"  sighed  Jo.  "If 
we  could  only  hire  a  boat." 

"They  have  our  money,"  replied  Jim,  briefly. 

"I  had  forgotten  that,"  said  Jo,  and  his  face 
showed  his  disappointment. 

"Permit  me  to  help  you,"  said  the  Spaniard,  "I 
am  to  blame  for  detaining  you  at  breakfast." 

"That  is  generous  of  you,  Senor,"  replied  Jim, 
"but  I  do  not  favor  going  to  the  expense  of  char- 
tering a  steamer.  Even  if  it  were  possible,  my 
plan  would  be  to  follow  along  the  coast  on  horse- 
back and  see  what  can  be  done  when  they  make  a 
landing." 

"As  you  are  the  General,"  replied  the  Spaniard, 
"we  will  allow  you  to  make  the  plans." 

"Look!"  exclaimed  Jo,  "they  are  turning  South 
instead  of  North." 

"Impossible!"  cried  the  Spaniard.  "There  is 
only  one  port  within  two  hundred  miles.  I  do 


JIM  AND  THE  SEA  EAGLE  123 

not  understand.  Yes,  they  are  surely  going 
South." 

"Perhaps  they  have  a  secret  landing  place," 
hazarded  Jim. 

"Not  so,"  replied  the  Spaniard.  "Not  a  harbor 
where  they  could  land  save  one  and  there  they 
would  not  dare  to  go." 

The  three  watchers  on  horseback  gazed  until 
there  was  little  to  be  seen  other  than  a  smudge  of 
smoke  upon  the  horizon.  It  was  no  use,  the  Sea 
Eagle  was  holding  to  her  southerly  course  to  some 
mysterious  port.  The  sun  had  now  come  out  and 
was  shining  with  sheer  brilliance  upon  the  spark- 
ling ocean. 

"We  must  return  now,"  said  the  Spaniard. 
"There  is  nothing  more  for  us  to  do  at  present." 

"I  think  that  my  brother  and  I  will  start  this 
afternoon  and  take  the  trail  to  the  south,"  an- 
nounced Jim,  "wherever  those  fellows  set  foot,  I 
want  to  be  waiting  for  them." 

"I  fear  it  is  impossible  to  start  so  soon,"  replied 
the  Spaniard,  "I  must  go  with  you  as  I  know  the 
country  to  the  South,  every  foot  of  it." 

"The  Senor  is  right,  Jim,"  put  in  Jo,  quickly, 
as  he  saw  a  frown  on  Jim's  face  and  was  afraid 
that  he  was  going  to  say  something  abruptly. 
"You  will  want  to  give  Caliente  a  good  rest,  so 


124    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

that  when  we  start,  we  will  make  the  distance 
without  delay.  Then  we  have  to  make  some  prep- 
arations ourselves." 

Jim  looked  at  his  brother  with  a  moment's  dark 
suspicion,  but  it  was  evident  that  Jo  was  perfectly 
sincere  in  what  he  said. 

"I  will  promise,  Senor,"  said  the  Spaniard  with 
a  peculiar  smile,  "that  when  we  start  which  will 
be  early  tomorrow  morning,  that  we  will  travel 
far  and  fast  enough  to  suit  you  and  your  horse." 
There  was  a  challenge  in  his  voice  that  Jim  met 
smilingly. 

"So  be  it,  Senor,"  he  said,  "I  will  try  to  be  in 
sight  at  the  finish." 

"My  horse  is  a  remarkable  animal  for  speed 
and  endurance,  I  must  tell  you  frankly,"  said  the 
Senor  gravely.  "He  has  no  equal  in  this  country 
of  California.  He  has  proved  it  more  than  once 
and  against  all  comers." 

"He  is  certainly  a  fine  horse,"  admitted  Jim, 
looking  at  the  sorrel  with  admiring  eyes.  "He 
has  a  splendid  stride." 

"Ah,  no,  Senor,"  laughed  the  Spaniard  with  a 
gleam  of  his  white  teeth,  "I  did  not  mean  him," 
patting  the  horse  on  the  neck,  "a  good  animal,  in- 
deed, but  more  for  my  little  sister  to  ride  than  for 


JIM  AND  THE  SEA  EAGLE  125 

me.  Wait,  my  friend,  until  I  introduce  you  to 
Don  Fernando  and  then  you  will  see  a  horse  for 
the  first  time." 

"I  should  be  very  much  pleased  to  see  him," 
said  Jim,  frankly  curious  and  interested. 

"Tomorrow,"  said  the  Spaniard. 

They  had  now  turned  into  the  narrow  trail 
among  the  bushes  and  had  only  ridden  a  few  steps 
when  Jo  called  a  sudden  halt. 

"What  do  you  think,  Jim,  there's  my  horse  and 
Tom's  tied  in  that  thicket." 

Sure  enough  there  they  were,  utterly  worn  out, 
but  with  spirit  enough  to  recognize  their  old  com- 
rades Jim  and  Jo,  and  if  ever  horses  expressed  a 
welcome  these  two  did  when  they  first  caught 
sight  of  their  two  friends. 

"They  have  cut  the  saddles  to  pieces,  the 
brutes,"  exclaimed  Jo. 

"I'm  glad  to  get  the  horses,"  said  Jim,  "I  am 
surprised  that  they  didn't  cut  their  throats." 

"They  will  follow  us  all  right,"  said  Jo,  in  reply 
to  the  Spaniard's  suggestion  that  they  would  have 
to  be  led,  and  they  trotted  along  behind  Jo,  who 
was  the  last  one  in  line. 

"Do  you  know  of  any  place  where  we  could  buy 
things?"  asked  Jim.  "We  need  a  new  outfit." 

"But  we  have  no  money,"  put  in  Jo  quickly. 


"I  will  get  the  money  or  its  equivalent  today," 
said  Jim.  "If  there  is  a  store  where  the  Senor  can 
get  me  credit." 

"Yes,  there  is  a  store  where  a  Portugee  sells 
about  everything  that  we  need  in  this  country," 
replied  the  Spaniard.  "It  is  some  distance  to  the 
north.  We  will  ride  there  before  we  return  to 
the  ranch.  There  will  be  no  difficulty  about  the 
credit,"  he  concluded,  with  a  bow  to  Jim. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE    BOYS    PUT    ON     STYLE 

"You  do  not  know  my  ability  to  spend,"  said  Jim, 
"I  may  have  to  plunge  to  the  extent  of  several  hun- 
dred dollars.  You  see  my  brother  has  very  expen- 
sive tastes.  It  will  cost  quite  a  small  fortune  when 
I  buy  him  a  complete  trousseau  including  dia- 
monds." 

"I  will  pledge  my  lands  if  necessary  to  get  the 
young  Senor  diamonds,"  said  the  Spaniard  laugh- 
ingly. 

In  about  an  hour's  time  they  came  to  a  large  one 
story  frame  building  painted  a  rather  light  blue, 
which  color  had  weathered  a  good  deal.  It  had  a 
square,  false  front  with  a  sign  on  it  that  read,  "Mr. 
Gonsalves,  General  Trader." 

They  hitched  their  horses  to  some  well  graveled 
posts,  and  went  inside  leaving  Jo's  and  Tom's  horses 
free  to  graze  at  will  around,  or  to  stand  under 
the  shelter  of  some  drooping  pepper  tree  across  the 
road.  The  proprietor,  a  short,  thick-set  Portugee 
with  a  close  trimmed  black  beard,  and  a  gray  slouch 
127 


128    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

hat  which  he  always  wore,  apparently,  received  them 
graciously.  The  contents  of  the  store  were  en- 
tirely at  their  service, — if  they  paid  for  them. 

"We  will  miss  poor  Tom  here,"  said  Jo,  "he  was 
always  our  purchasing  agent." 

"And  a  mighty  good  one,"  added  Jim.  "Not  even 
a  Connecticut  Yankee  could  get  the  best  of  him  in  a 
bargain." 

The  Spaniard  sat  in  a  round  armed  wooden  chair, 
gracefully  smoking  a  cigarette,  while  his  guests 
busied  themselves  making  purchases.  First  the  boys 
bought  some  new  clothes,  which  they  retired  behind 
a  counter  to  put  on,  and  emerged  in  proper  apparel 
for  the  plains. 

Blue  flannel  shirts,  and  pants  of  the  same  color, 
held  up  by  leather  belts,  with  much  glitter  of  silver 
on  them,  then  they  bought  a  sombrero  apiece, 
not  after  the  Mexican  style,  but  of  the  American 
type.  Jim  had  a  red  band  around  his  and  Jo  had  a 
blue. 

"Now  we  want  some  handkerchiefs  to  tie  around 
our  necks,"  said  Jo. 

"Of  course,"  remarked  Jim  with  a  wink,  "some- 
thing that  will  catch  the  eyes  of  the  ladies." 

So  M.  Gonsalves  brought  out  a  brilliant  assort- 
ment of  handkerchiefs. 

"Here's  a  very  fine  article,  gents,"  he  said  hold- 


THE  BOYS  PUT  ON  STYLE          129 

ing  out  a  red  silk  handkerchief,  clustered  with  white 
horseshoes. 

"Nothing  the  matter  with  that,"  admitted  Jim  ad- 
miringly, with  a  droll  look  at  Jo.  "But  this  plain  red 
one  will  suit  me.  My  brother  would  probably  like 
the  horseshoe  one."  But  Jo  also  declined. 

"I  will  take  the  dark  blue  one,"  he  said,  "it 
matches  my  costume  better." 

"Gee!  but  you  will  look  like  a  color  scheme," 
laughed  Jim,  "blue  eyes,  blue  pants,  shirt,  tie  and 
socks,  and  hat  band,  you  ought  to  be  a  sailor  on  the 
blue  Pacific." 

"The  next  things  are  boots,"  remarked  Jo. 

"Not  for  me,"  said  Jim  briefly,  "I  want  mocca- 
sins. Worn  'em  all  my  life,  and  I  am  not  going  to 
change  to  boots  now." 

"Fine  line  of  moccasins,"  said  the  accommodating 
Mr.  Gonsalves  in  his  best  trade  manner.  You  see  he 
had  been  in  business  in  San  Francisco  and  knew 
something  of  the  ways  of  customers. 

"But  it  gives  us  more  style  to  wear  boots.  You 
notice  that  all  the  inhabitants  wear  them,  we  can 
buy  moccasins  too.  You  wear  them  all  the  time  and 
they  will  set  you  down  for  an  Indian." 

"When  a  fellow  once  gets  the  idea  of  style  in  his 
head,"  said  Jim  resignedly,  "nothing  this  side  of 
matrimony  is  going  to  stop  him.  So  lay  on  Mac- 


130    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

Duff  and  cursed  be  he  who  first  cries  hold,  enough." 

"I  feel  like  I  was  anchored,"  commented  Jim, 
stepping  across  the  floor  with  heavy  tread.  "I 
should  like  to  stalk  a  deer  or  an  Indian  in  these 
things.  He  could  tell  you  were  arriving  before  you 
got  above  the  horizon." 

"But  you  look  fine  in  'em,"  said  Jo. 

It  was  true  that  he  made  a  striking  figure  in  his 
blue  togs.  The  lithe  powerful  physique,  and  the 
strong,  resolute  face. 

"Better  look  out,  Jo,"  grinned  Jim.  "No  Senor- 
ita  would  look  at  you,  when  they  see  me  dashing 
over  the  landscape." 

"I'm  a  pretty  stylish  looking  guy  myself,"  re- 
sponded Jo,  confidently.  He  did  make  a  good  ap- 
pearance, there  was  no  doubt  of  that.  Though 
slighter  than  his  brother  he  was  well  set  up,  and  his 
frame  was  well  muscled.  He  was  handsomer  than 
Jim.  But  there  was  no  nonsense  about  either  of 
the  two  boys  and  they  never  gave  an  unnecessary 
thought  to  their  appearance. 

"Now,  Mr.  Gonsalves,"  said  Jim,  "we  would  like 
to  look  at  some  of  your  man-killers." 

"Revolvers?"  he  questioned,  "just  step  this  way. 
I  can  fit  you  out  all  right." 

He  did  have  a  fine  collection  and  Jim  examined 


THE  BOYS  PUT  ON  STYLE         131 

the  different  ones  carefully,  noting  their  action  and 
how  easily  they  worked. 

"I  see  you  are  no  tenderfoot/'  complimented  the 
proprietor.  "You  have  handled  shooting  irons  be- 
fore." 

"I'll  be  a  tenderfoot  before  long,  if  I  wear  these 
condemned  boots  you  sold  me,"  said  Jim  gruffly 
ignoring  the  compliment.  He  did  not  care  especially 
for  M.  Gonsalves'  style.  "Now  let's  have  a  look  at 
your  rifles."  The  proprietor  actually  took  off  his 
hat  and  bowed. 

It  was  evident  that  the  distinguished  gentlemen 
from  nowhere  in  particular  were  going  to  buy  out 
his  entire  stock. 

"Would  you  be  so  gracious  as  to  step  this  way?" 
he  said,  "I  have  the  rifles  in  the  back  of  the  store." 

They  were  so  gracious,  and  after  due  examination 
they  selected  a  couple  of  well  balanced  guns  and 
purchased  enough  ammunition  to  stand  off  a  few 
Indian  raids.  All  the  stuff  besides  what  they  had 
on  their  backs  they  packed  upon  Tom's  horse,  as 
Tom  was  not  present  to  resent  the  indignity. 

"Now  the  last  things  are  some  saddles,"  said 
Jim,  "seeing  that  our  kind  friends,  the  pirates,  cut 
up  those  we  owned." 

"Senor  Darlington,"  said  the  Spaniard  coming 
forward  and  touching  Jim  lightly  on  the  arm,  "Do 


132    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

not  speak  of  buying  saddles.  I  will  see  to  that." 
Jim  did  not  know  exactly  what  their  host  meant  but 
he  thanked  him  and  deferred  to  his  request. 

Now  behold  the  frontier  boys  in  complete  cos- 
tume, with  glittering  revolvers  at  their  hips  and 
rifles  swung  across  their  backs,  upon  their  hands 
were  fringed  buckskin  gloves.  They  had  gone  the 
whole  hog  as  Jim  said. 

"I'll  take  the  shine  off  this  costume  in  about  one 
day,"  said  Jim  grimly,  "when  I  get  in  the  open,  I 
would  rather  break  a  broncho,  than  a  new  suit  of 
clothes."  There  was  no  doubt  about  his  impressive 
appearance,  as  the  sun  flashed  on  the  metal  of  the  ac- 
coutrements and  he  swung  himself  into  the  saddle. 
Even  their  host  seemed  to  hold  them  in  higher  re- 
gard. Different  people,  different  manners. 

When  they  reached  the  house  ranch  the  first  thing 
Jim  did  was  to  find  Caliente.  He  was  in  the  long 
adobe  stable  that  was  a  half-mile  from  the  house,  at 
the  beginning  of  a  wide  mountain  valley,  where  the 
air  drew  through  from  the  sea. 

"How  are  you,  Caliente  old  fellow,"  cried  Jim,  as 
he  opened  the  box  stall  and  went  in  to  shake  hands 
with  his  old  comrade.  But  the  horse  leaped  to  one 
side,  and  then  reared  up  as  if  to  strike  Jim. 

"He  don't  know  you,"  cried  Jo  who  was  on  the 
outside  of  the  stall.  "Take  off  your  hat." 


THE  BOYS  PUT  ON  STYLE  133 

Jim  whirled  it  out  of  the  stall,  and  a  change  came 
over  Caliente.  He  recognized  his  master,  and  nick- 
ering in  recognition  he  rubbed  his  head  against 
Jim's  shoulder,  and  took  playful  nips  at  his  fine  new 
shirt,  while  Jim  fairly  hugged  him,  and  gave  him 
resounding  whacks  with  his  open  hand  upon  his 
splendid  sides  and  shoulders. 

"A  magnificent  animal,  Senor  Darlington,"  said 
Senor  Sebastian  to  Jim,  "I  congratulate  you." 

It  was  a  true  word.  Caliente  with  his  proud  neck, 
small  but  shapely  head,  powerful  but  not  too  heavy 
frame,  and  color  of  mottled  gray  was  magnificent. 

All  that  afternoon  Jim  busied  himself  grooming 
his  horse  until  his  coat  fairly  glistened.  He  looked 
carefully  to  his  feed,  and  saw  to  his  watering.  For 
Jim  was  determined  that  his  horse  should  not  be 
beaten  by  the  Spaniard's.  He  knew  that  the  latter's 
horse  must  be  an  unusual  animal.  It  was  not  a  short 
race,  instead,  one  of  two  hundred  miles  that  lay  be- 
fore them  on  the  morrow. 

That  evening  the  American  boys  presented  a  bet- 
ter appearance  than  they  did  at  breakfast.  It  was  a 
pretty  scene  that  evening  in  the  long  dining  room. 
The  snowy  table  lit  by  light  of  candles  and  set  with 
ancient  silver  brought  from  Spain.  The  young 
Senorita  was  seated  itt  her  brother's  right,  and  on 
the  other  side  were  James  Darlington  and  his 


134    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

brother  Joseph.  As  to  the  impression  she  made 
upon  them,  we  will  say  nothing,  as  this  is  not  a  ro- 
mance, but  they  had  a  merry  and  delightful  evening. 
Their  host  and  the  young  Senorita  were  much 
interested  in  hearing  of  the  adventures  of  the  boys 
in  Mexico,  especially  that  part  that  referred  to 
the  rescue  of  the  Senorita  Cordova  from  the  hands 
of  Cal  Jenkins  and  his  gang.  I  do  not  know  that 
The  Frontier  Boys  told  it  with  any  less  fervor 
because  the  eyes  of  the  young  girl,  seated  op- 
posite, were  fixed  intently  upon  them.  It  appeared 
that  their  host  knew  of  the  Senor  Cordova,  who  was 
a  man  of  prominence  in  his  country,  though  he  had 
not  actually  met  him.  So  there  was  one  more 
bond  of  sympathy  between  the  Senor  Sebastian 
and  James  and  Jo  Darlington. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

ON  BOARD  THE  SEA  EAGLE 

Let  us  now  turn  our  interest  and  attention  for 
a  time  to  the  cruise  of  the  Sea  Eagle,  under  the 
guidance  of  that  redoubtable  free-booter,  Captain 
Broom.  It  was  a  mystery  to  the  three  who 
watched  the  ship  turn  to  the  South,  what  her  port 
could  be.  We  will  soon  be  in  a  position  to  solve 
that  problem. 

No  sooner  had  the  Sea  Eagle  cleared  the  cove 
than  Captain  Broom  went  to  his  cabin  to  go  over 
his  spoils  which  he  had  taken  from  the  frontier 
boys.  He  placed  all  the  belts  upon  the  table,  took 
up  one,  and  with  a  keen  knife  slit  the  first  pouch. 
A  large  heavy  Spanish  coin  rolled  out  and  then 
clinked  down  upon  the  table. 

The  Captain's  eyes  glistened.  "By  Gosh !"  he  ex- 
claimed, "it  was  worth  while  rounding  up  those 
fellows.  They  must  have  struck  it  rich  down  in 
Mexico.  I  bet  the  boys  will  be  tickled  to  death 
to  get  their  share."  For  whatever  crimes  and 
shortcomings  Captain  Broom  could  be  charged 
135 


136    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

with,  at  least  he  always  divided  fairly  with  his  crew. 
Thereby  he  held  their  loyalty.  It  was  not  all 
policy,  either,  for  there  was  a  sterling  streak  in 
the  bad  old  fellow. 

Out  of  the  next  pouch  there  glittered  upon  the 
table  several  diamonds  and  a  small  palm  full  of 
rubies,  with  their  rich  color  and  radiance.  "The 
boys  will  have  enough  to  start  a  jewelry  store," 
commented  the  Captain.  "But  I  am  not  surprised 
at  this  haul.  I  know  something  about  the  hidden 
treasures  myself,  and  they  do  say  Mexico  is  the 
the  place  for  them." 

Out  of  another  belt  he  got  some  ingots  of  gold 
and  a  girdle  that  caused  the  Captain  to  open  his 
eyes.  At  first  he  did  not  know  what  to  make  of 
it.  When  he  held  it  up  he  saw  that  it  was  formed 
of  golden  disks  linked  with  strings  of  rubies  and 
sapphires.  In  the  third  belt  was  a  necklace  that 
might  have  been  worn  by  some  Princess  of  the 
Incas.  It  was  oddly,  almost  wierdly  beautiful. 

The  fourth  belt  that  he  picked  up  chanced  to  be- 
long to  Jim. 

"This  seems  lighter  than  the  others,"  remarked 
the  Captain.  "Three  of  the  pouches  are  empty." 
His  face  got  black  with  rage.  For  instantly  his 
mind  leaped  to  the  suspicion  that  one  of  his  men 
had  rifled  it.  If  such  had  been  the  case,  the  guilty 


ON  BOARD  THE  SEA  EAGLE         137 

party  would  have  got  short  shift  at  the  end  of  a 
rope  from  the  yard  arm. 

But  the  second  examination  showed  that  the 
cut  was  an  old  one. 

"So !"  he  cried,  "one  of  the  boys  has  cached  part 
of  his  share.  I  bet  it  was  that  long-legged,  black- 
haired  guy.  That  fellow  would  give  the  best  of 
us  trouble.  I  wish  I  had  him  to  train.  Maybe, 
I  can  make  something  of  the  Injun  boy,"  meaning 
Juarez. 

As  to  the  belts,  the  shrewd  old  fellow,  to  make 
sure,  measured  them  to  see  where  the  worn  holes 
of  the  leather  came,  and  the  partially  empty  belt 
had  been  worn  two  inches  longer  than  any  of  the 
others. 

"It  was  the  big  fellow's,"  said  the  Captain. 

Then  he  went  upon  deck  and  called  the  crew 
forward. 

"Now,  lads,  choose  your  man  to  get  your  share 
of  the  goods,"  he  said. 

"It's  Jack  Cales,  sir,"  they  said,  knowing  that 
they  would  be  called  upon  to  select  a  man  to  take 
their  share. 

"All  right!  Come,  lad,"  said  the  Captain,  and 
led  the  way  to  his  cabin.  When  Jack  Cales  saw 
the  treasures  on  the  table,  he  opened  his  eyes  and 
mouth  in  astonishment. 


138    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"Why,  Sir,"  he  exclaimed,  "we  haven't  seen 
anything  like  this  since  the  day  two  years  ago 
when — "  he  stopped  suddenly,  seeing  from  a  look 
in  the  Captain's  eyes  that  no  reminiscences  were 
desired. 

"This  is  your  share,  lad,"  said  the  Captain, 
gruffly. 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  responded  Cales,  as  he  swept 
the  small  pile  of  gold  and  jewels  into  the  palm  of 
his  big  hands. 

"And  mind  ye,  lad,"  warned  the  Captain,  "I 
don't  want  any  quarreling  among  yourselves  or 
ye  will  hear  from  me." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  replied  the  sailor  and  backed 
out  of  the  cabin. 

There  was  an  interesting  gathering  in  the  fore- 
castle when  Jack  Cales  deposited  his  handful  of 
treasures  on  the  top  of  a  sea  chest  that  had  been 
hauled  out  for  the  purpose. 

For  once  it  was  not  necessary  to  have  the  Ian-' 
tern  lit,  for  a  broad  band  of  sunshine  shone  down 
the  steep  ladder  and  cut  a  golden  swath  through 
the  dingy  gloom  and  fell  athwart  the  chest  and  il- 
luminated the  group:  the  tall  and  swaggering 
Cales,  the  rugged,  grizzled  Pete,  and  the  other 
sailormen;  a  typical  group  and  not  to  be  matched 
for  picturesqueness  anywhere;  with  their  faces 


ON  BOARD  THE  SEA  EAGLE         139 

intent  upon  the  center  of  the  old  black  sea  chest, 
where  glowed  and  glittered  the  gold  and  jewels  in 
the  band  of  light  that  shone  upon  some  of  the 
faces  of  the  intent  group,  while  others  were  in  the 
shadow.  It  was  a  scene  such  as  Rembrandt — 
pardon,  kind  reader,  I  forgot  for  a  moment,  this 
is  a  simple  narrative  of  Adventure. 

"Pete,"  said  Cales,  "how  the  ladies  will  love  you 
when  they  see  a  chain  of  glittering  diamonds 
around  your  throat." 

"One  thing  is  certain,  lad,"  replied  the  grizzled 
Pete,  "I  won't  be  givin'  none  of  my  diamonds 
away  to  the  ladies.  I'll  keep  the  stones  safe  in  my 
jeans." 

"You'll  have  to  be  keerful,  Pete,"  rallied  an- 
other, "they'll  be  marrying  you  for  your  ill-gotten 
wealth,  when  they  find  out  that  you  are  an  heiress. 
You  can't  help  yourself,  Pete.  It  won't  make  any 
difference  because  you  are  a  pirate,  that  won't 
scare  'em.  Not  when  they  see  them  jewels." 

"What's  the  use  of  you  boys  a  talkin'  to  me," 
he  said  with  a  wise  wink,  "you're  only  kittens.  I'm 
sixty  year  old  and  I'm  a  free  man  yit." 

"Here's  a  pill  for  you,  Pop,"  said  Cales, 
dropping  a  diamond  into  his  horny  hand. 

"Gee!  I'm  just  as  well  pleased  to  get  this  as  I 
was  to  get  a  bunch  of  popcorn  when  I  was  a  kid 


140    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

back   in   New   England,   off  the   Christmas   tree." 

"Better  have  it  sot  in  one  of  your  front  teeth, 
Pop,"  said  Jack.  This  produced  a  roar  of  laugh- 
ter, for  Pete's  front  teeth  were  conspicuous  by 
their  absence. 

So  the  distribution  went  on  without  any  bicker- 
ing at  first,  only  jovial  jokes,  but  at  last  there 
came  a  bone  of  contention  over  the  last  diamond. 
And  in  a  jiffy  Jack  Cales  and  a  short,  stocky  sailor 
were  all  tangled  up  in  a  fierce  encounter.  Their 
comrades,  none  too  gently,  hoisted  them  up  on 
deck.  There  they  continued  their  fight. 

No  sooner  did  Captain  Broom  see  them  than  he 
cluttered  down  from  the  bridge  at  a  furious  rate. 
The  two  combatants  ought  to  have  taken  warning 
but  they  were  deaf  to  everything  except  their  own 
struggle.  He  was  livid  with  anger,  and  his 
wrath  was  in  a  large  measure  justified. 

"I'll  larn  you!",  he  yelled,  grabbing  each  by  the 
back  of  the  neck.  "You  won't  fight  any  more  this 
trip." 

They  were  like  children  in  his  hands.  He  had 
not  only  the  arms  of  a  gorilla,  but  the  strength  of 
one  when  he  was  aroused  and  it  was  a  caution  the 
way  he  slammed  them  around,  flaying  the  deck 
with  them,  and  dashing  their  heads  together.  It 
seemed  as  if  every  bone  in  fneir  bodies,  woul&  be 


ON  BOARD  THE  SEA  EAGLE         141 

broken.  Finally  he  flung  them  unconscious  on  the 
deck. 

"Put  them  in  the  Sagenette,"  he  ordered  the 
mate. 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  he  replied,  and  with  the  aid  of 
one  of  the  sailors,  they  were  chained  in  a  narrow 
cell. 

Here  was  where  Juarez  and  Tom  came  in.  As 
the  two  fighters  were  knocked  out  and  locked  up, 
it  made  the  crew  short  and  they  were  ordered  out 
on  deck  from  the  cabin  where  they  had  been  kept. 
Almost  famished  though  they  were,  they  had  to 
jump  in  and  work  like  nailers,  not  to  say,  sailors. 

Fortunately  for  them,  they  had  experienced  a 
hard  schooling  in  many  different  ways  since  they 
came  west  and  were  practical  masters  of  several 
lines  of  industry,  but  this  was  their  first  experi- 
ence sailoring.  It  was  a  hard  school,  but  they 
learned  more  in  a  few  days,  than  they  would  have 
under  months  of  more  gentle  tuition.  This  was 
to  stand  them  in  good  stead  when  they  started  on 
their  cruise  to  Hawaii. 

"I'll  get  even  with  those  fellows,"  growled  Tom 
as  he  passed  near  Juarez  who  was  busy  polishing 
some  brass  work.  "Y<?s,  if  it  takes  the  rest  of  my. 
lifp  " 


142    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"What  do  you  mean,  stopping  and  gabbing,  you 
little  shrimp?"  roared  the  mate  who  chanced  to  see 
Tom  stop. 

And  he  rushed  up  and  grabbing  Tom  by  the 
back  of  the  neck,  shook  him  ferociously,  landing 
him  a  couple  of  kicks  at  the  same  time.  This  was 
too  much  for  Juarez,  who  poised  a  stone  that  he 
was  using  and  was  about  to  brain  the  mate  with  it 
when  the  Captain's  iron  grip  fell  on  his  arm.  He 
didn't  throw  that  brick. 

"Easy,  lad,"  said  the  Captain.  "No  more  fight- 
ing on  board  this  ship,  or  I'll  take  a  hand  again 
and  don't  you  two  lads  pass  the  time  of  day  either. 
You  won't  be  killed  if  you  work  hard  and  keep 
cheerful."  Then  he  gave  the  mate  a  look,  which 
that  worthy  understood  and  Tom  was  allowed  to 
go  about  his  work  without  further  molestation. 

But  this  was  a  new  and  hard  doctrine  that  the 
Captain  had  laid  down  that  the  boys  had  to  take 
hard  usage  and  unceasing  work  and  keep  cheerful 
about  it.  They  soon  found  that  the  Skipper 
meant  what  he  said.  It  was  a  bitter  lesson,  but 
perhaps  they  were  the  manlier  for  learning  it  so 
young.  For  it's  something  that  life  hands  out  to 
everyone  sooner  or  later. 

Often  the  boys  looked  longingly  over '  the  rail 
towards  the  faint,  far  outline  of  the  California 


ON  BOARD  THE  SEA  EAGLE         143 

coast.  The  Skipper  was  keeping  his  ship  far  out 
from  the  land  for  reasons  best  known  to  himself. 
One  thing  was  favorable  in  that  the  sea  air  had 
braced  up  Juarez  so  that  he  felt  more  like  himself 
though  his  head  was  queer  at  times.  And  no 
wonder  for  that  blow  the  Mexican  dwarf  had 
given  him  was  sufficient  to  have  stunned  an  ox. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

A    DAY     AT     SEA 

The  Sea  Eagle  was  steaming  steadily  South  to  her 
mysterious  harbor.  The  day  was  a  brilliant  one  and 
as  the  afternoon  wore  on  the  wind  from  the  North- 
west began  to  blow  with  fresher  force  and  the  white 
caps  began  to  jump,  here,  there  and  everywhere 
over  the  broad  surface  of  the  ocean,  and  then  slide 
down  on  the  back  of  the  waves. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  motion  on  the  part  of 
the  Sea  Eagle  now,  as  she  plunged  into  the  waves 
and  threw  the  spray  back  over  her  decks.  Both 
Juarez  and  Tom  proved  themselves  good  sailors, 
which  was  just  as  well  for  if  they  had  been  sea  sick 
together  with  their  other  miseries  they  might  have 
succumbed. 

Finally  the  long  afternoon  wore  away  and  the 
time  came  for  supper.  The  boys  being  neither 
flesh,  fish  or  fowl,  were  not  allowed  to  eat  with  the 
crew,  and  they  did  not  mind  in  the  least.  When 
their  rations  did  arrive,  or  rather  when  they  went 
144 


A  DAY  AT  SEA  145 

to  the  ship's  galley  and  got  their  share,  they 
found  the  fare  not  lacking  in  quality  and  abundance. 
There  was  a  heaping  plate  of  Mexican  beans,  a  big 
hunk  of  bread  and  a  bowl  of  hot  tea.  After  the 
boys  had  stowed  this  below  in  their  hatches  they  felt 
a  hundred  per  cent  better  and  more  fit  to  meet  any 
fate  that  might  await  them. 

An  hour  before  sunset  a  heavy  bank  of  fog  be- 
gan to  roll  up  from  the  West,  soon  covering  the 
whole  sky  with  its  gracious  softness,  and  decided 
restfulness,  after  the  glittering  blue-diamond  beauty 
of  the  day. 

It  is  the  fogs  alone  that  make  the  climate  of  Cali- 
fornia, especially  in  the  Southern  part  endurable. 
Too  much  sunshine  becomes  as  unbearable  as  too 
much  cloudiness. 

The  sea  went  down,  when  the  fog  came  up  and  the 
waters  took  on  a  steely  color  under  their  blanket  of 
gray,  rolling  on,  in  that  monotonous  meditation 
that  holds  the  mystery  of  forgotten  ages  in  its 
brooding. 

"Here's  where  you  will  sleep,  boys,"  said  Old  Pete, 
who  had  been  appointed  by  the  Captain  to  have 
special  charge  over  their  education.  "The  men  won't 
have  you  in  the  fo'castle,  and  it's  pretty  crowded 
there  anyway." 

"This  will  suit  us,  sir,"  replied  Juarez.    He  did 


146    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

not  call  him  Pop,  as  he  would  have  on  the  land.  This 
was  the  sea  and  had  its  own  rules  and  customs, 
therefore  Old  Pete  received  his  due  of  respect.  But 
in  his  rough  way  he  was  not  unfriendly  towards  the 
boys,  for  he  remembered  that  they  had  given  him 
friendly  advice,  when  he  was  aboard  that  strange 
craft,  a  horse,  the  night  before. 

The  place  where  the  boys  were  to  sleep  was  a  sort 
of  cubby  hole  in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  that  was  roofed 
over  and  where  anchor  chains  and  other  junk  was 
sometimes  kept.  It  was  not  over  four  feet  high, 
five  in  width  at  the  broadest  and  narrowing  to  the 
bow. 

A  rude  place  to  sleep  in,  but  what  did  the  Frontier 
Boys  care  for  that  ?  They  could  scarcely  count  the 
nights  that  they  had  slept  out  on  the  ground,  and  in 
bad  weather  too.  They  had  a  blanket  apiece,  and  a 
tarpaulin  to  pull  over  them. 

The  blankets  they  had  spread  out  on  the  floor  of 
the  cubby  hole  and  they  found  that  the  tar- 
paulin made  a  mighty  warm  protective  covering, 
keeping  out  the  damp  sea  air  in  fine  style. 

"Where  do  you  suppose  we  are  heading  for, 
Juarez?"  inquired  Tom. 

"Maybe  a  port  in  Mexico  or  South  America  and 
then  again  we  may  head  for  Hawaii  before  we  in- 
tend to." 


'A  DAY  AT  SEA  147 

"We  are  going  South  now,  though,"  said  Tom. 

"If  we  run  in  close  to  the  coast,  we'll  jump  over- 
board, and  swim  for  it,"  said  Juarez. 

"We  could  do  it  if  we  get  within  a  mile,"  said 
Tom,  "if  it  is  not  too  rough." 

Just  then  Juarez  put  his  hand  over  Tom's  mouth, 
he  felt  sure  that  someone  was  listening  or  was  pre- 
paring to.  Juarez  ran  his  fingers  carefully  over  the 
boards  until  he  found  where  a  hole  had  been  bored 
through  the  planking  a  little  back  of  their  heads.  It 
was  just  as  he  had  suspected,  someone  was  listen- 
ing to  hear  what  plans  they  would  make. 

With  the  noiselessness  characteristic  of  him  when 
scouting,  Juarez  crept  out  partially  and  cautiously 
raised  his  head  until  he  caught  sight  of  the  sole  of 
a  man's  boot.  Then  he  crept  back  to  his  place  and 
gave  Tom  a  nudge.  Forthwith  they  began  talking  in 
rather  loud  tones. 

"Say  Tom,  do  you  know  I  rather  like  this  ship. 
These  fellows  are  rough  in  their  way  but  that  is  to 
be  expected." 

"Of  course,"  said  Tom,  in  an  equally  loud  voice, 
"but  we  might  as  well  make  the  best  of  it.  There  is 
no  chance  for  the  boys  to  find  us." 

"You're  right  there,  Tom." 

Then  in  a  short  time  they  appeared  to  fall  into  a 
deep  and  sonorous  sleep.  This  was  no  fake  on  the 


148    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

part  of  Tom  who  was  actually  and  thoroughly 
tired.  But  Juarez  was  more  of  a  veteran  and  he 
kept  his  eyes  open  and  he  was  rewarded  in  a  few 
minutes  by  seeing  a  man's  feet  hanging  ever  the 
edge  of  their  bunk  house  and  then  he  saw  the  figure 
of  the  mate  slouch  aft. 

"You  sly  old  rascal,  you,"  remarked  Juarez.  "We 
will  'larn'  you  to  try  and  be  too  smart  with  the 
Frontier  Boys.  We  may  be  young  but  we  are  not 
fools." 

Nothing  happened  for  a  while  and  the  gentle 
plunge  of  the  Sea  Eagle  into  the  long  rolling  swell 
soon  lulled  the  tired  Juarez  into  a  sound  sleep,  so 
that  neither  he  nor  Tom  were  aware  that  the  ship 
had  suddenly  changed  her  course. 

By  and  by  however,  Juarez  waked  with  a  start. 
Something  had  happened,  he  knew  not  what.  He  sat 
up  and  struck  his  head  upon  the  planking  overhead. 
Fortunately  however  he  did  not  hit  the  place  where 
the  Mexican  had  struck  him  but  at  the  best  his  head 
was  a  tender  place  with  him  and  the  blow  stunned 
him,  but  as  he  was  now  more  his  rugged  self,  he 
soon  recovered. 

He  found  what  had  wakened  him  was  the  stop- 
ping of  the  ship.  He  saw  several  dark  forms  moving 
aft  and  he  crept  out  to  see  what  was  afoot.  He 
had  to  move  very  carefully  but  managed  to  reach  the 


A  DAY  AT  SEA  149 

hood  of  the  forecastle,  where  he  crouched  looking 
and  listening. 

He  saw  that  they  were  lying  to,  close  in  to  shore 
and  could  see  the  white  splash  of  the  breakers  as 
they  rolled  towards  the  shore  and  could  hear  their 
monotonous  thunder  upon  the  beach.  Here  per- 
haps was  their  chance.  Just  then  he  heard  the  heavy 
voice  of  the  Captain  from  the  bridge. 

"Lower  away  there."  Then  the  starboard  boat 
slid  noiselessly  down  from  the  davits  into  the 
water. 

Juarez  got  up  and  glided  back  into  the  cubby  hole 
to  tell  Tom  the  good  news.  It  was  their  opportunity 
to  escape  and  seemingly  a  good  one.  The  sea  was 
smooth  and  the  night  was  dark.  They  could  slip 
over  the  side  of  the  vessel  and  pull  for  the  shore, 
and  not  a  soul  on  the  Sea  Eagle  would  be  the  wiser 
until  they  looked  into  their  nest  in  the  morning  to 
find  it  empty. 

Once  they  got  to  the  shore  it  would  be  an  easy 
matter  to  make  their  way  North  until  they  met  Jim 
and  Jo. 

The  anticipation  of  the  escape  had  already  thrilled 
through  every  nerve  in  Juarez's  body.  But  he  had 
just  started  to  wake  Tom,  when  something  made 
him  look  down  the  deck.  There  was  the  tall  figure 


ISO   FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

of  one  of  the  sailors  coming  directly  towards  the 
bow. 

Juarez  lay  down  quickly  as  though  asleep.  Then 
the  man  reached  down  and  caught  hold  of  Tom's 
foot  and  Juarez's  and  gave  them  a  rough  yank.  "So 
you  are  here,  you  young  brats.  You  had  better 
make  a  move  or  the  Cap'n  will  finish  you." 

Juarez  was  fairly  sizzling  with  rage  especially  as 
Tom  was  really  frightened  by  being  wakened  in  such 
rough  fashion  and  after  all  Tom  was  but  a  boy  and 
it  pained  Juarez  to  see  him  so  scared,  but  he  was 
helpless,  and  all  he  could  do  was  to  add  one  more 
black  mark  to  the  score  he  was  charging  up  to  the 
free-booters. 

Instead  of  moving  away,  the  man  sat  on  a  capstan 
a  few  feet  distant  from  the  boys'  den,  watching  for 
the  slightest  move  on  their  part,  a  marlin  spike  dang- 
ling playfully  in  his  hands.  Juarez  had  not  taken 
the  crafty  and  keen  sighted  Captain  Broom  into  ac- 
count 

From  the  Bridge,  that  worthy,  although  he  was 
watching  the  launching  of  the  boat,  had  chanced  to 
catch  sight  out  of  the  tail  of  his  eye  of  a  dark 
shadow  flitting  back  to  the  forecastle.  He  was  not 
sure  it  was  one  of  the  boys,  but  he  was  taking  no 
chances,  for  he  had  a  real  respect  for  their  prowess 
and  audacity  as  he  might  well  have. 


A  DAY  AT  SEA  151 

So  he  had  sent  one  of  his  crew  to  guard  this 
young  lions'  den,  while  the  ship  was  so  close  in 
shore.  He  did  not  intend  to  stay  longer  than  was 
necessary  right  at  this  point,  and  he  waited  with 
some  anxiety  for  the  return  of  the  mate  and  Pete 
in  the  boat. 

It  was  now  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  Cap- 
tain Broom  wanted  to  be  out  at  sea  a  good  safe 
distance  before  the  light  broke.  The  mate's  boat 
had  now  been  gone  over  a  half-hour,  and  the  Cap- 
tain stood  at  the  end  of  the  Bridge  looking  towards 
the  shore.  There  was  not  a  light  upon  the  vessel  to 
show  her  position.  She  lay  silent  and  black  upon  the 
dark  waters. 

Then  the  Captain  straightened  up.  He  saw  a 
moving  body  approaching  the  ship  and  heard  the 
slight  dip  of  oars.  Then  the  boat  was  alongside  and 
instead  of  two  men,  there  were  three  in  the  boat. 
The  Captain  went  down  to  the  main  deck  to  meet 
them. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE    PASSENGER 

They  met  without  any  formality.  The  new 
passenger  was  a  tall,  slightly  stooped  man,  with 
long  hair  falling  down  to  his  shoulders.  Juarez 
was  exceedingly  anxious  to  see  him,  but  could 
make  out  only  a  dark  form  moving  along  the  deck. 

"Come  to  the  cabin,  Jeems,"  called  the  Captain. 
"I've  got  something  to  tell  ye." 

They  were  soon  seated  in  the  Captain's  cabin. 
This  was  a  good-sized  room,  panelled  in  light 
wood  and  very  neatly  kept.  There  was  quite  a 
broad  table  of  the  same  wood  as  the  walls  and  a 
swivel  chair  in  front  of  it.  The  Captain  seated 
himself  in  this  chair  and  whirled  to  talk  to  the 
visitor  from  the  shore. 

It  was  evident  that  he  was  not  a  temporary  vis- 
itor for  scarcely  had  they  seated  themselves  in  the 
cabin  than  the  Sea  Eagle  slowly  and  gently  turned 
and  they  felt  the  pulsation  of  her  engines  as  she 
headed  once  more  for  sea.  The  man  was  seated 
on  a  sea  chest  opposite  the  Captain. 
152 


THE  PASSENGER  153 

He  wore  long  cowhide  boots,  with  jeans  pants 
thrust  into  their  tops,  flannel  shirt  of  a  nonde- 
script color  and  a  corduroy  jacket.  His  hat  was 
of  a  battered  gray.  The  face  was  smooth-shaven, 
deeply  lined  and  burnt  to  a  dull  brown.  The  hair 
which  came  down  to  his  shoulders  had  that  pe- 
culiar sun-burnt  weathered  tinge  that  comes  from 
continual  exposure  to  the  weather.  He  was  not 
an  old  man,  probably  on  the  sunny  side  of  forty. 

"Well,  Jeems,  what  is  your  news?"  inquired  the 
Captain. 

"The  government  boat  is  in  the  harbor,  that's 
all."  The  Captain  gave  a  low,  peculiar  whistle. 

"When  did  she  show  up?"  he  asked. 

"Two  days  ago,  Cap'n,"  he  replied. 

"Come  from  the  South?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  man.  "Put  in  for  coal,  I 
reckon." 

"Then  put  out  for  us,"  said  the  Captain  briefly. 

"Any  'baccy,  Cap'n?  Been  out  two  days,"  re- 
marked Jeems. 

"Lift  your  lanky  frame  off  that  chest,"  replied 
the  Captain,  "and  I'll  git  you  some." 

The  man  sprang  up  with  remarkable  alacrity, 
and  as  he  unfolded  length  after  length  of  his  long 
figure,  it  seemed  as  if  his  head  would  touch  the 
ceiling  of  the  cabin.  In  fact,  he  did  not  miss  it 


154    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

by  many  inches.  It  was  a  comical  contrast  be- 
tween the  short  stooping  figure  of  the  Captain  and 
the  tall  stranger. 

"Waal,  Jeems,  I  wouldn't  advise  you  to  grow 
any  more,  or  I'll  have  to  raise  the  roof  of  my 
cabin." 

"That's  what,  Cap'n,"  replied  Jeems  imperturb- 
ably.  "That's  what  happens  when  you  grow  up  in 
Californy.  You  grow  all  the  year  around,  and  not 
like  in  New  England  where  the  winters  makes  you 
stubby." 

Then  the  native  philosopher  seated  himself  on 
the  chest  again  and  took  long  and  delightful  pulls 
at  his  recently  staked  pipe. 

"Hum!"  he  said.  "This  tastes  right.  Did  yer 
ever  know  what  it  war  to  be  starved  for  yer 
'baccy,  Cap'n?" 

"No,"  replied  the  Captain,  "I  can't  say  that  I 
ever  did." 

"Well,  I  want  to  tell  you,  Cap'n,  that  it  is  worse 
than  going  without  water  and  I  know  what  that  is. 
Been  on  a  desert  till  my  tongue  was  as  thick  as  a 
cow's,  and  hung  out  between  my  teeth,  black." 

"How  long  have  you  been  away?"  inquired  the 
Captain. 

"Three  weeks,  Cap'n." 

"How  are  the  sheep  lookin'  ?" 


THE  PASSENGER  155 

"Pretty  fair,  Cap'n,"  he  replied.  "I  think  that 
they  had  a  whiff  of  rain  over  there  a  few  days 
ago." 

"It  won't  be  long  till  we  git  the  rains,"  sug- 
gested the  Captain. 

"I  don't  know,  Cap'n,"  remarked  the  lanky  one. 
"The  climate  of  Californy  is  a  curious  proposition. 
It's  built  on  the  bias  down  at  this  end." 

"How's  that?"  asked  the  Captain  curiously. 
He  had  a  certain  interest  in  this  particular  cour- 
ier's theories,  however  he  might  laugh  at  their  pe- 
culiarities. For  there  was  apt  to  be  a  basis  of 
reason  in  them. 

"Well,  it's  this  way,  Cap'n,"  said  James  Howell, 
to  give  him  his  correct  name,  thrusting  one  lanky 
hand  deep  into  his  jeans  pocket  and  bending  for- 
ward awkwardly.  "It's  this  way.  You  see  the 
storms  come  down  from  the  North  to  the  Tehatchi- 
pei  mountains,  where  there  isn't  any  way  for  them 
to  get  through  to  the  south.  Then  the  clouds 
shift  around  to  Arizony,  and  if  the  wind  is  right 
they  are  blown  through  the  passes  of  the  Sierra 
Madre  into  Southern  Californy,  then  we  get  the 
rain.  That's  why  I  said,  Cap'n,  that  this  dazzling 
climate  is  built  on  the  bias." 

"Waal,  Jeems,  as  a  weather  prophet  you  can't 
be  beat,"  said  the  Skipper. 


156   FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"In  my  business  I  get  plenty  of  time  to  think, 
Cap'n,"  he  remarked,  "and  as  they  ain't  much  to 
see  except  climate  I  think  about  that." 

"Waal,  I  have  a  good  sight  more  than  that  to 
consider,"  replied  the  Skipper.  "I'm  thinking 
right  now  about  that  government  boat.  I'm  going 
on  deck.  You  can  turn  in." 

The  Captain  showed  him  to  an  empty  cabin  and 
the  lanky  stranger  proceeded  to  make  himself 
comfortable  for  the  balance  of  the  night,  while  the 
Captain  went  up  on  the  Bridge. 

"Where  are  you  heading  this  boat  to?"  he 
asked  gruffly  of  the  man  at  the  wheel. 

Then  he  took  the  helm  himself  and  immediately 
the  Sea  Eagle's  prow  pointed  to  the  Westward  as 
if  she  were  heading  directly  for  Japan.  How- 
ever, she  held  this  course  for  only  an  hour  and  a 
half  when  the  Skipper  swung  her  bow  once  more 
to  the  South. 

Long  before  the  morning  broke,  Tom  and 
Juarez,  hauled  out  of  their  resting  place,  were  set 
to  scrubbing  the  decks  and  rubbing  them  down 
with  holy-stone.  They  waited  eagerly  for  the  first 
break  of  day  to  see  where  they  were. 

Then  the  light  came  slowly  through  the  fog- 
covered  sky,  showing  a  glossy  sea  with  a  slight 
swell  and  not  a  sign  of  land  anywhere.  The  boys' 


THE  PASSENGER  157 

hearts  sank  within  them  and  they  felt  sure  that 
they  would  not  see  their  native  land  again. 

Once  in  a  while  they  would  glance  up  at  the 
Bridge  where  stood  the  Captain  with  his  powerful 
stooped  figure.  He  was  evidently  on  the  lookout, 
for  with  his  eye  at  a  long  glass,  he  kept  scanning 
the  sky-line  to  the  east.  What  was  he  looking 
for?  Juarez  knew  instinctively  that  he  was  afraid 
of  pursuit. 

If  only  they  could  be  overtaken  and  captured, 
his  heart  thrilled  at  the  thought  and  he  watched 
the  Captain  eagerly  for  the  first  sign  of  excite- 
ment. About  ten  o'clock  he  saw  by  the  Skipper's 
actions  that  something  of  interest  had  come  under 
his  observation. 

There  were  a  number  of  quick,  sharp  orders 
given  and  Juarez  noticed  the  increased  volume  of 
smoke  pouring  from  the  stack.  The  Sea  Eagle 
began  to  show  the  speed  that  was  in  her  trim, 
black  form.  Juarez  worked  around  the  port  side 
of  the  boat  as  rapidly  as  he  dared,  and  his  heart 
leaped  with  hope. 

He  saw  low  upon  the  eastern  horizon  a  smudge 
of  black  smoke.  If  he  only  had  known  what  the 
Skipper  knew,  his  hopes  would  have  risen  still 
higher.  Certain  preparations  were  going  on  up- 
on deck.  The  three  cannon,  one  in  the  stern, 


158    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

that  had  fired  the  salute  to  the  group  on  the  shore, 
one  on  either  side  of  the  quarter-deck,  were  di- 
vested of  their  canvas  jackets. 

They  certainly  gleamed  bravely  in  their  polished 
brass.  Then  the  ammunition  was  got  ready  be- 
siide  each  separate  gun.  It  begin  to  look  like 
business.  The  Sea  Eagle  began  to  justify  her 
name  and  fly  through  the  water.  Still  the  spot 
upon  the  horizon  grew  bigger. 

Then  Juarez  began  to  have  a  paralyzing  feel- 
ing of  doubt.  The  steamer,  though  coming  up 
fast,  did  not  seem  to  be  steering  the  proper  course 
to  head  the  Sea  Eagle,  bearing  on  her  port-quarter 
instead  of  across  her  bows  as  would  have  been 
the  natural  course  if  she  wished  to  intercept  her. 

Then  the  doubt  in  his  mind  was  changed  to  dis- 
appointed certainty  for  the  Skipper  waved  his 
hand  to  the  mate,  who  was  busy  on  the  deck  be- 
low. It  was  after  he  had  taken  a  pull  at  the  spy- 
glass, which  this  time  seemed  to  have  an  intoxi- 
cating effect  upon  the  Captain. 

"It's  all  right,  Bill,"  he  yelled,  "It's  nothing  but 
a  steamer  bound  for  'Frisco.  It  looks  like  the 
Panama." 

Juarez  and  Tom  resumed  their  work  doggedly. 
That  was  all  that  was  left  for  them  to  do.  They 


THE  PASSENGER  159 

scarcely  glanced  at  the  big  steamer  as  she  ap- 
peared, growing  constantly  larger  above  the  hori- 
zon, and  then  diminishing  as  she  steamed  North 
towards  San  Francisco. 

Juarez  was  scrubbing  the  deck  near  a  cabin  door 
when  it  suddenly  opened,  and  a  tall,  long-legged 
figure  stepped  out  and  fairly  over  him.  He  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  the  man  who  had 
come  aboard  the  night  before. 

He  took  in  the  tall,  gaunt  man  with  the  smooth- 
shaven  face  and  long  hair  at  two  glances — one 
not  being  sufficient  to  his  height. 

"Well,  who  are  you?"  he  inquired  lounging  on 
the  rail  and  regarding  Juarez  with  mild-eyed  in- 
terest. 

"I'm  Juarez  Hopkins,  deck  scrubber.  Who  are 
you?" 

"I'm  James  Howell,  sheep  farmer.  I'll  add 
you  two  lambs  to  my  flock,"  he  replied,  whimsi- 
cally, glancing  at, Tom  who  was  down  the  deck 
a  way. 

"You  are  more  apt  to  find  us  wolves  in  lamb's 
hide,"  retorted  Juarez.  "Where's  your  farm?" 

"There,"  said  the  stranger,  pointing  with  a  long, 
bony  finger  on  the  port-quarter,  "that  nigh  island." 

Then  Juarez  saw  to  his  surprise,  two  islands 


160    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

that  seemed  to  have  sprung  like  magic  upon  the 
South-eastern  horizon.  The  further  one  lay  long 
and  low  and  dark  but  distant  beneath  the  fog-lined 
sky,  the  "nigh  one"  was  more  short  and  dumpy  in 
appearance. 


CHAPTER  XX 

TO    THE    RESCUE 

During  the  afternoon,  everything  had  been  made 
ready  for  the  journey  of  the  morrow.  There  was 
not  a  great  deal  to  be  done  for  the  three  rescuers 
would  travel  light.  There  would  be  no  need  of  a 
pack  animal,  because  the  Senor  had  assured  the 
boys  that  they  would  find  hospitality  on  the  way. 

Jo  however  was  in  mourning  because  when  he 
gave  his  black  a  trial  gallop,  it  was  discovered  that 
he  was  badly  lamed  in  the  right  knee.  It  would  not 
have  been  safe  for  any  of  the  pirate  gang  to  come 
within  range  of  Jo's  wrath. 

"The  cursed  brutes  stove  him  up  for  fair,"  he  de- 
clared grinding  his  teeth. 

"I'm  afraid  it  will  take  a  month's  rest  before  he 
will  be  fit,"  determined  Jim. 

"Then  I'm  out  of  it,"  exclaimed  Jo  sorrowfully. 

"Not  so,  my  friend,"  interrupted  the  Spaniard. 
"Take  the  bay.  He  is  not  as  good  a  horse  as  yours, 
but  he  has  great  endurance.  He  is  yours  to  use  as 
long  as  you  wish." 

161 


162    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

Jo  thanked  the  Spaniard  heartily  for  his  kindness 
and  generosity.  Then  he  spoke  in  a  low  voice  to  his 
brother.  "How  about  that  money,  Jim?  Don't  for- 
get to  pay  the  Spaniard  for  those  goods  we  bought 
at  the  store."  Jim  spoke  up. 

"Senor,  I  wish  to  show  you  a  little  something  of 
interest." 

Then  Jim  got  his  heavy  saddle,  on  which  he  had 
ridden  so  many  hundred  miles.  And  the  Senor  re- 
garded it  with  interest,  because  of  the  carved  leather 
workmanship  which  was  of  the  finest  and  he  was  a 
connoisseur  of  such  matters. 

"How  much  would  you  give  for  it,  Senor  Sebas- 
tian," inquired  Jim,  "if  it  were  put  up  for  pur- 
chase?" 

"It  is  a  beautiful  saddle.  I  would  be  willing  to 
give  a  hundred  dollars.  It  is  worth  it." 

"That  saddle  is  worth  several  thousand,  Senor," 
replied  Jim  confidently. 

"I  do  not  understand,"  replied  the  Spaniard.  "It 
is  the  personal  value,  I  suppose." 

"I  will  show  you,"  said  Jim. 

Then  he  took  from  his  hip  pocket  a  heavy  bone 
handled  knife  which  he  had  bought  at  the  store  and 
pulled  back  the  hoof  cleaner,  an  instrument  attached 
to  the  knife  that  was  used  to  get  a  pebble  or 
anything  that  had  got  'into  the  horse's  hoof. 


TO  THE  RESCUE  163 

With  this  he  worked  at  the  leather  that  covered 
the  high  and  rather  thick  horn  of  the  saddle.  Finally 
he  pried  the  top  leather  flap  off.  There  was  a  heavy 
piece  fitted  into  the  top  of  the  horn.  With  some 
difficulty  Jim  got  this  out  disclosing  a  hollow,  in 
which  was  concealed  most  of  the  jewels  he  had 
found  in  Mexico. 

"Hold  your  hands,  Jo.  Tight  now."  And  with 
the  word  he  emptied  the  contents  of  the  horn  into 
Jo's  palms.  Diamonds,  rubies,  turquoises  and  some 
heavy  gold  pieces. 

"That  is  what  you  might  call  a  horn  of  plenty," 
said  Jim  jocosely. 

"But!"  cried  the  Spaniard  in  amazement,  "where 
did  you  get  these  ?" 

"In  Mexico,"  replied  Jim.  "This  was  what  the 
Pirates  were  after.  And  they  got  all  but  this. 
Sometime  I  will  tell  you  the  story  of  its  discovery. 
Now  take  this  to  reimburse  'you,  Senor,  for  the 
money  we  spent  at  the  store."  And  he  held  out  the 
diamond. 

"That  is  far  too  much.  That  stone  is  worth  five 
hundred  dollars  at  least/'  said  the  Spaniard.  "These 
three  rubies  would  be  more  exact  and  I  will  take 
them." 

Jim,  handing  over  the  three  stones  selected,  said, 


1 64    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"Now,  Senor,  you  shall  take  the  diamond  as  a  token 
of  good  will  from  my  brother  and  myself." 

"We  insist  upon  it,"  chimed  in  Jo. 

Finally  the  Spaniard  accepted  the  gifts  with  many 
protestations  of  obligation  and  appreciation.  Jo 
was  about  to  urge  him  to  accept  a  jewel  for  his 
sister,  but  Jim  stopped  him,  knowing  that  the  proud 
Spaniard  would  not  hear  to  such  a  present. 

The  next  morning  they  were  up  an  hour  before 
daylight  and  ate  a  hearty  breakfast  by  the  light  of 
the  candles.  Veterans  though  they  were,  the  boys 
felt  a  thrill  go  through  their  pulses  as  they  thought 
of  the  expedition  that  lay  before  them.  Outside  they 
could  hear  the  pawing  of  the  impatient  horses. 

"To  the  success  of  our  expedition  and  the  rescue 
of  our  friends !"  was  the  toast  the  Spaniard  proposed 
as  they  rose  from  the  table.  The  Frontier  Boys 
drank  it,  but  not  in  wine.  They  felt  just  a  little 
foolish  too,  but  such  is  the  reward  that  often  comes 
with  doing  what  is  right.  But  they  were  sturdy  in 
their  determination  to  stick  to  their  principles. 

If  they  had  only  known  it,  down  in  his  heart  the 
Spaniard  respected  them  the  more,  even  though  it 
seemed  odd  to  him. 

Then  they  went  out  on  the  verandah,  fully  armed 
and  ready  to  take  their  departure.  Two  oil  lamps 
near  the  door  and  fastened  to  the  wall,  backed  by 


TO  THE  RESCUE  165 

shining  reflectors  sent  a  strong  light  across  the 
verandah  and  into  the  darkness  outside. 

There  stood  the  three  horses,  eager  to  be  off,  each 
one  held  by  a  Mexican  groom.  Caliente  we  already 
know,  and  the  horse  that  Jo  is  to  ride  also.  So  let 
us  take  a  glance  at  the  third  animal,  Don  Fernando. 
He  evidently  justified  all  the  enthusiasm  of  his  mas- 
ter, a  truly  splendid  creature. 

A  dark  chestnut,  as  large  as  Caliente  and  built  on 
something  the  same  lines.  They  were  beautifully 
matched  except  in  color.  It  was  with  a  thrill  of 
pleasure  that  Jim  swung  himself  into  the  saddle.  His 
mount  was  in  fine  fettle  and  ready  for  the  long  pull 
ahead. 

They  started  from  the  home  ranch  with  a  thunder 
of  hoofs  in  unison,  the  riders  checking  their 
horses  to  a  slow  gallop  with  a  heavy  hand.  Together 
they  pressed  through  the  waning  darkness.  There 
was  a  wonderful  exhilaration,  as  they  leaped  for- 
ward, the  horses  powerful  and  fresh. 

Instead  of  following  in  the  direction  of  the  morn- 
ing before,  the  Spaniard  turned  to  the  East  until 
they  came  near  the  foot  of  the  range.  In  a  short  time 
they  came  to  a  gate,  which  seemed  to  open  mysteri- 
ously as  they  approached,  but  the  motive  power 
proved  to  be  a  small  Mexican  boy,  whom  the  Senor 
had  sent  on  ahead. 


166    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

Now  they  were  on  a  turf  road  with  bushes  on 
either  side  and  down  this  they  thundered,  Caliente 
the  gray,  and  Don  Fernando  the  dark,  matching 
stride  for  stride,  with  Jo  well  in  the  rear.  For  he 
found  if  he  rode  close  up  he  was  blinded  and  stung 
by  sods  and  stones  thrown  back  from  the  flying 
hoofs  of  the  two  horses  in  the  front. 

It  was  a  bit  lonely  for  Jo  and  he  wished  that  one 
of  the  other  boys  was  here  to  keep  him  company.  As 
they  rode,  the  bushes  seemed  to  fly  by  as  they  do 
when  you  look  from  a  railroad  train  and  Jo  was 
afraid  lest  his  horse  would  be  unable  to  keep  the 
pace  indefinitely.  One  thing  in  Jo's  favor  was  that 
he  was  the  lightest  of  the  three  and  what  is  more  to 
the  purpose  a  very  light  rider. 

So  like  the  good  horseman  he  was,  he  determined 
to  save  his  horse  all  he  could  and  make  him  last  out. 
For  eight  miles  or  more  they  rode  without  a  stop 
until  they  came  to  another  gate.  This  the  Spaniard 
unfastened  and  swung  open  without  dismounting, 
then  closed  it  after  Jo. 

The  morning  light  was  now  distinct,  although 
the  fog  was  over  the  sky.  Before  them  stretched  a 
long  level  plain  that  broke  into  sand  dunes  near  the 
sea.  They  could  see  the  ocean  lying  dark  in  its 
monotonous  level  of  color,  to  the  Western  horizon. 


TO  THE  RESCUE  167 

"We  have  just  left  the  Sebastian  ranch,"  called 
the  Spaniard. 

"It  is  immense,"  commented  Jim.  "May  I  ask 
how  many  acres  it  embraces  ?" 

"It  was  immense  in  the  old  days,"  replied  the 
Spaniard.  "Before  your  people  took  possession  of 
the  land.  It  was  held  by  no  fences  then.  But  your 
laws  were  not  ours  and  we  lost  many  square  miles. 
Now  there  are  fifty  thousand  acres  under  fence." 

"Fifty  thousand  acres !"  exclaimed  Jo. 

"Ah,  but  it  was  double  that  before  the  Americans 
came,"  replied  the  Spaniard.  Then  he  glanced  crit- 
ically at  Caliente.  "Your  horse  looks  as  cool  as 
though  he  had  been  standing  in  the  stable.  The  pace 
does  not  affect  his  wind  either.  Splendid  condi- 
tion!" 

"Caliente  is  as  hard  as  nails,"  said  Jim  proudly. 
"But  your  horse  has  wonderful  speed." 

The  chestnut  seemed  more  on  edge  than  the  old 
warrior,  Caliente,  and  tossed  the  foam  from  his  bit, 
until  his  dark  coat  was  speckled  with  it. 

"He  is  high  strung,"  said  the  Spaniard,  "but  I 
would  back  him  against  any  horse  flesh  in  California. 
We  can  let  them  out  here  for  a  half  dozen  miles." 

"Let  her  go,  Senor.     I  won't  let  you  lose  me." 

At  the  word  the  Spaniard  gave  his  chafing  horse 
his  head  and  away  the  chestnut  sprang  in  the  lead. 


168    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

It  was  slightly  down  grade  for  a  mile,  then  there 
was  a  gulch  twelve  feet  wide  and  of  considerable 
depth.  It  was  a  good  jump  and  to  make  it  saved  a 
little  distance.  Going  at  top  speed  the  chestnut  took 
the  jump  in  fine  style.  His  rider  half  turned  in  his 
saddle  to  watch  Jim's  effort.  Caliente  had  faced 
worse  leaps  than  that,  he  rose  to  it  and  swept  over 
it  as  gracefully  as  a  bird. 

"Good  fellow !"  exclaimed  Jim  patting  him  affec- 
tionately on  the  neck. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

THE    BANDITS 

When  Jo  saw  the  gulch  ahead,  he  decided  that 
discretion  was  the  better  part  of  valor  as  he  did  not 
know  his  mount  well  enough  to  risk  the  leap,  so  he 
galloped  a  few  hundred  feet  below,  where  the  gulch 
narrowed  and  then  he  took  the  jump  nicely,  and 
scampered  after  the  other  two  riders  who  were  quite 
a  way  ahead. 

Jim  purposely  held  Caliente  in  check,  keeping  a 
hundred  yards  in  the  rear  of  the  Spaniard.  Ahead 
a  few  miles,  there  was  a  perfect  sea  of  yellow  where 
the  tall  mustard  covered  the  plain  for  a  great  dis- 
tance. Into  this  they  charged  full  tilt,  the  mustard 
reaching  as  high  as  their  heads. 

There  was  a  swish  of  its  blossoms  in  their  faces  as 
the  powerful  horses  charged  into  it  and  in  spite  of 
their  strength  they  began  to  tire  after  going  some 
distance. 

"Where  is  Jo  ?"  inquired  Jim  suddenly  after  they 
had  slowed  down,  "I  don't  see  a  sign  of  him."    And 
169 


i;o    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

he  rose  in  his  stirrups  looking  over  the  level  lake  of 
mustard. 

"Hello,  Jo,"  he  yelled  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  No 
answer  came.  Could  he  be  drowned  in  this  lake? 
There  was  not  a  motion  to  indicate  his  where- 
abouts, no  waving  of  the  yellow  tops. 

"It  is  very  strange,"  said  the  Spaniard.  "Did  he 
cross  the  gully  all  right?" 

"Yes,  I  saw  him  take  the  jump  below  us  a  ways." 
Then  Jim  raised  his  revolver  above  his  head  and 
fired. 

"That  ought  to  fetch  him,"  he  said.  Then  they 
listened  intently.  Suddenly  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  ahead  of  them  they  saw  a  sombrero  rise  like 
a  gray  mushroom  above  the  yellow  surface  of  the 
mustard,  and  Jo's  voice  came  back  to  them. 

They  both  gave  their  horses  the  rein,  this  time  Jim 
did  nothing  to  hold  Caliente  back,  and  with  their 
powerful  speed  the  two  great  horses  tore  forward, 
on  even  terms  until  in  the  last  hundred  yards  Cal- 
iente forged  ahead  by  half  a  length. 

"Hold  on  boys/'  yelled  Jo  in  warning.  "Don't 
on  even  terms  until  in  the  last  hundred  yards  Cal- 
horses  up.  There  was  Jo  sitting  quietly. on  his  horse. 

"That's  how  you  beat  us,"  exclaimed  Jim,  pointing 
to  a  cow  trail  running  diagonally  through  the 
growth  of  mustard. 


THE  BANDITS  171 

"Yes,"  laughed  Jo,  "I  struck  it  further  down  after 
I  jumped  the  gully.  Otherwise  you  fellows  would 
have  lost  me." 

"Good  work,  Jo,"  said  Jim.  "Now  we  will  have  it 
easier  going." 

So  in  single  file  they  galloped  along  the  path,  until 
they  found  themselves  by  noon,  at  the  foot  of  a  spur 
of  mountains  that  extended  from  the  main  coast 
range  to  the  ocean'.  Jim  regarded  this  barrier  in 
their  way  with  a  practised  eye. 

"This  will  slow  us  down,  Senor,"  he  said.  "It 
looks  like  a  pass  below  there,  about  two  miles." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Senor,"  we  can  get  through  there 
all  right,  but  it  is  pretty  rough  going." 

They  had  to  advance  more  slowly  now,  as  the 
ground  was  broken  into  stony  ravines,  and  there  was 
a  good  deal  of  brush.  In  this  kind  of  country  Jo's 
horse  more  than  held  its  own  with  the  bigger  an- 
imals, for  he  was  as  nimble  as  a  goat. 

"I  hope  we  will  find  water,  Senor,"  remarked  Jim. 
"Our  horses  are  pretty  dry  now." 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Spaniard,  "there  is  a  good 
spring  at  the  foot  of  the  Pass." 

They  found  it  all  right,  in  the  entrance  to  the 
Pass,  where  there  was  a  small  green  cove,  sur- 
rounded with  bushes,  and  on  one  side  was  a  sheep 
herder's  shanty.  Jo  investigated  this  immediately 


172    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

and  found  nothing  in  it  but  the  charred  remnants 
of  a  fire  and  a  pair  of  discarded  overalls. 

Jim,  who  had  himself  been  looking  around,  made 
a  more  important  find. 

"There  has  been  somebody  here  recently,"  he  an- 
nounced. "Here  are  some  tracks  around  the  spring 
and  not  over  twelve  hours  old." 

"Yes,  I  have  no  doubt,"  said  the  Spaniard  care- 
lessly puffing  at  his  cigarette.  "This  Pass  is  used 
occasionally  by  ranchmen  and  herders." 

"There  have  been  five  or  six  horses  here,"  said 
Jim,  whose  experiences  had  made  him  suspicious. 

"There  are  no  Indians,"  said  Jo,  "in  this  section, 
at  least  none  who  are  on  the  warpath." 

"I  supose  you  do  have  cattle  rustlers,  Senor?" 
inquired  Jim. 

"Yes,  there  is  a  band  of  outlaws,"  replied  the 
Spaniard,  "that  raids  from  as  far  north  as  our 
ranch,  south  to  San  Diego,  but  we  have  seen  no 
trace  of  them  for  many  months." 

"Then,  Senor,"  remarked  Jim,  "it  is  about  time 
that  they  paid  you  another  visit." 

"Ah,  Senor  Darlington,"  exclaimed  the  Spaniard. 
"We  Castilians  do  not  reason  so.  We  say  that  there 
is  no  trouble  today,  why  worry  about  tomorrow. 
Perhaps  these  bandits  may  have  starved  to  death,  or 
been  hung,  or  the  good  Padres  may  have  persuaded 


THE  BANDITS  173 

them  by  the  fear  of  Hell,  to  become  quiet,  sheep  rais- 
ing citizens.  God  knows." 

"I  fear  that  they  are  raising  sheep  in  their  old 
style,"  grinned  Jo.  The  pun  glanced  off  the  Span- 
iard harmlessly. 

"The  theory  that  they  may  be  hung,  sounds  plaus- 
ible, Senor,"  admitted  Jim.  "But  before  we  advance 
into  the  Pass.,  I  will  scout  a  little." 

"If  the  Senor  pleases,"  responded  the  Spaniard 
courteously. 

"Do  you  chance  to  know  of  a  small,  hunch-backed 
Mexican  who  is  more  or  less  in  this  section  of  the 
country,  Senor  ?"  Jim  suddenly  inquired. 

The  Spaniard  flushed  with  red  anger  and  spit  em- 
phatically on  the  ground. 

"You  give  him  into  my  hands  and  I  will  reward 
you  well,"  cried  the  Spaniard. 

Jim  made  no  immediate  reply  but  gazed  thought- 
fully at  the  ground.  He  was  considering  the  case. 
This  was  not  the  time  to  turn  aside  in  a  chase  for 
even  so  desperate  a  criminal  as  the  hunch-backed 
greaser.  So  he  made  no  definite  reply  to  the  Span- 
iard. 

After  the  horses  were  fed,  and  watered,  and  while 
Jo  was  looking  after  the  coffee,  Jim  started  off,  to 
do  a  little  scouting  up  the  Pass.  The  first  thing  that 
he  did  was  to  slip  off  his  heavy  riding  boots,  which 


174    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

the  stylish  Jo  had  forced  him  to  buy,  and  to  put  on 
his  noiseless  footed  moccasins. 

Then  with  his  revolver  loaded  and  ready  to  his 
hand,  he  went  swiftly  and  silently  up  the  trail  that 
followed  through  thick  brush,  gradually  working  up 
the  side  of  the  mountain.  It  was  no  difficult  task  to 
follow  the  tracks  of  the  horses.  In  a  half  hour's 
swift  climbing  he  came  to  the  top  of  a  stony  ridge, 
over  which  the  trail  curved,  and  dipped  down  the 
other  side. 

Jim  now  saw  that  the  Pass  was  an  irregular  one 
with  recurrent  spurs,  thrusting  out  from  the 
mountains  on  either  side,  at  quite  frequent  inter- 
vals. There  were  innumerable  chances  for  ambus- 
cades. Jim  did  not  stand  in  the  trail  but  to  one  side 
partially  hidden  in  a  thicket. 

All  the  time  his  keen  eyes  were  taking  in  the  can- 
yon below,  not  however  admiring  the  scenery.  In 
fact  there  was  nothing  particularly  beautiful,  or  in- 
teresting in  the  view.  In  the  Rockies  and  further 
South  too  he  had  seen  canyons  incomparable  to  the 
rather  ordinary  ones  that  he  had  seen  in  California. 

Jim  was  watching  for  some  slight  movement  of  a 
living  creature  in  the  canyon.  Finally  he  gave  it  up, 
and  was  about  to  turn  away,  then  he  gave  a  start, 
he  saw  one,  two,  three,  men  crouch  across  the  trail, 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  below,  and  disappear  into  the 


THE  BANDITS  175 

thick  (brush.  He  was  almost  certain  that  the  first 
one  was  the  hunch-back. 

That  was  all  that  Jim  wanted  to  see.  He  noise- 
lessly took  the  back  trail,  thinking  over  the  best 
course  to  pursue.  He  would  have  liked  nothing  bet- 
ter under  ordinary  circumstances  than  to  fight  it  out 
with  the  outlaws  and  to  capture  the  hunch-back. 
But  their  first  object  must  be  the  rescue  of  Tom  and 
Juarez. 

Was  there  not  some  way  by  which  they  could  get 
to  the  South  without  going  through  this  bandit  in- 
fested Pass? 

"Well  brother,  what  didst  thou  find  ?"  inquired  Jo, 
who  was  at  times  pleased  to  be  dramatic. 

"Very  few  specimens  in  the  way  of  bandits,"  re- 
plied Jim. 

"As  I  said,  Senor,"  remarked  the  Spaniard,  "they 
have  become  good  citizens." 

"Not  yet,  I  am  sure,  because  they  are  alive." 

"That  is  a  good  one,  Jim,"  remarked  Jo,  appre- 
ciatively, but  the  Spaniard  was  politely  mystified. 
"Same  as  Indians." 

"I  found  one  thing  out,"  said  the  diplomatic  Jim, 
"and  that  is,  that  the  Pass  is  a  hard  one  on  horses. 
Are  you  sure,  Senor,  that  there  is  no  easier  way 
than  this  to  get  through?" 

"Positive,"  briefly  responded  the  Spaniard. 


176    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

Jim  who  was  seated  on  .a  rock  digging  his  heel 
into  the  soft  earth,  looked  up  as  a  sudden  idea  struck 
him, — but  without  knocking  him  out. 

"How  far  is  it  from  here  to  the  sea,  Senor?"  he 
asked. 

"Not  over  five  miles." 

"Can  we  not  get  around  that  way  ?"  Jim  inquired 
eagerly. 

"Why,  yes,"  replied  the  Spaniard  slowly,  "if  the 
tide  is  not  coming  in.  In  that  case  we  should  be 
drowned."  Jim  glanced  hastily  at  his  watch. 

"We  can  try  for  it  and  make  it,  if  we  do  not 
waste  any  time,"  he  said.  "The  horses  have  had  a 
good  rest." 

"Very  well,  Senor/'  said  the  Spaniard  resignedly. 
He  regarded  Jim  as  an  amiable  hurricane  whom  it 
was  not  worth  while  battering  to  resist.  Jim  hastily 
swallowed  his  coffee  and  a  hunk  of  bread  and  in  five 
minutes  the  three  musketeers  were  in  the  saddle 
again. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

RACE    WITH    THE   TIDE 

In  spite  of  the  rough  going,  they  made  good 
time  for  the  five  miles,  spurred  on  by  the  constant 
anxiety  lest  they  should  not  reach  the  beach  before 
the  tide  began  coming  in.  There  were  several 
gathered  to  see  them  off  when  they  left  the  mouth 
of  the  Pass,  but  not  to  give  them  a  send  off. 

A  short  explanation  will  prove  this.  It  is  not 
to  be  supposed  that  the  hunch-backed  Mexican 
and  the  bandits  did  not  know  that  the  three  horse- 
men were  coming  over  the  plain  of  the  mustard 
growth.  Indeed,  their  scout,  the  Mexican  dwarf, 
saw  Jim,  Jo  and  the  Spaniard  when  they  first 
landed  in  the  entrance  to  the  canyon. 

He  had  gone  back  to  report  to  the  bandits 
their  coming,  and  after  Jim  had  returned,  they 
had  prepared  the  nicest  trap  imaginable  near 
where  Jim  had  been  hiding.  They  had  had  numer- 
ous experiences  in  that  line  and  were  perfectly 
qualified  experts.  The  spider  and  the  fly  was 
177 


178    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

nothing  to  the  arrangements  they  had  made  to  re- 
ceive their  supposably  unsuspicious  guests. 

You  can  imagine  the  surprise  and  disgust  of  the 
bandits  and  their  scout  when  they  saw  the  three 
horsemen  ride  in  an  entirely  different  direction 
than  that  they  had  looked  for.  Talk  about  con- 
vulsions, you  should -have  seen  these  desperadoes 
express  their  disappointment.  It  was  terrific. 
Not  a  saint  in  the  long  calendar  was  left  un- 
scathed. 

How  Jim  would  have  enjoyed  the  performance. 
But  entirely  oblivious  to  this,  Jo,  Jim  and  the 
Spaniard  were  riding  rapidly  towards  the  sea. 
Before  an  hour  had  passed,  they  had  ridden  be- 
tween the  rounded  sand  dunes  and  then  out  upon 
the  hard,  smooth  sand  of  the  beach. 

"This  is  splendid  going,  Senor  Sebastian,"  ex- 
claimed Jim. 

"It  is  all  right,"  he  replied,  "if  the  sea  does  not 
get  hungry  too  soon."  But  the  sea  appeared  to  be 
in  a  very  pleasant  mood  and  the  white  breakers 
had  withdrawn  as  far  out  as  it  was  possible  to  get. 
It  was  such  a  smooth  smiling  sea  with  the  laugh 
of  its  little  sparkling  waves  that  it  seemed  that 
there  could  be  no  possible  harm  in  it. 

"I  never  saw  a  road  that  was  better  than  this !" 


RACE  WITH  THE  TIDE  179 

exclaimed  Jo  in  delight.  "It  is  perfectly  springy 
and  no  dust  or  mud." 

It  deserved  all  of  Jo's  praises,  this  broad,  firm 
California  beach.  The  brown  sand,  that  had  been 
pounded  down  by  the  force  of  the  great  rollers 
some  hours  before,  showed  scarcely  a  sign  of  the 
shoes  of  the  horses. 

There  was  plenty  of  width  and  the  three  horses 
pressed  on  abreast,  the  powerful  sweep  of  the 
gray  Caliente  and  the  chestnut  Don  Fernando, 
and  the  snappy,  nervous  leaps  of  the  little  bay  that 
Jo  was  riding.  With  the  bracing  sea  air  and  the 
exhilarating  speed,  the  three  musketeers  were  in- 
vigorated. 

The  Spaniard  hummed  a  gay  ballad,  while  at 
times  Jim's  heavy  bass  and  Jo's  lighter  treble 
were  joined  in  a  rollicking  American  song.  They 
laughed  without  reason,  for  the  simple  joy  of  being 
alive  and  on  the  move;  but  as  pride  sometimes 
goes  before  destruction,  so  happiness  often  goes 
before  disaster. 

It  was  a  small  matter  too,  but  it  made  for 
trouble.  The  Spaniard's  horse  stepped  between 
two  small  rocks  that  were  close  together  and 
wrenched  .one  of  his  hind  shoes  nearly  off.  Jim 
and  Senor  Sebastian  hastily  dismounted.  Of 
course  they  carried  with  them  the  necessary  things 


i8o    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

to  fix  the  shoe  on  again,  but  even  then  it  was  a 
question  of  a  number  of  minutes. 

"You  had  better  ride  ahead,  Jo,"  urged  Jim. 
"Your  horse  is  beginning  to  tire  and  we  will  over- 
take you,  when  we  once  get  started." 

"It  is  a  good  idea,"  joined  in  the  Spaniard. 

"All  right,"  acquiesced  Jo  readily  enough,  and 
he  gave  his  bay  the  rein,  riding  slowly  down  the 
beach. 

Then  the  two  began  operations  on  Don  Fernan- 
do's  hind  foot.  Here  they  found  their  first  real 
delay.  At  the  point  where  the  accident  happened, 
the  mountains  came  down  quite  close  to  the  sea, 
so  that  they  were  crowded  in  much  closer  than 
they  had  been.  The  nearness  of  the  water  made 
the  big  chestnut  restless  and  hard  to  handle. 

The  Spaniard  had  great  difficulty  in  getting 
near  enough  to  his  horse  to  get  hold  of  his  hind 
foot.  When  he  did  succeed  in  doing  this,  and 
was  just  starting  to  peg  the  shoe  on,  an  extra  big 
wave  slapped  down  upon  the  beach,  though  at  a 
safe  distance  and  caused  the  big  chestnut  to  jump 
and  hurl  his  master  to  a  distance  of  a  dozen  feet. 

"This  won't  do,"  cried  Jim.  "I'll  take  my  horse 
around  to  the  sea  side  of  yours  and  close  up.  Per- 
haps that  will  give  your  animal  confidence." 

It  worked  like  a  charm,  for  though  Caliente  was 


RACE  WITH  THE  TIDE  181 

high-spirited,  he  was  not  flighty  and  he  steadied 
his  comrade  so  that  the  two  workers  were  able  to 
fasten  the  shoe. 

"We  have  lost  a  good  half  hour,"  said  Jim,  look- 
ing at  his  watch  with  a  grave  face. 

"Perhaps  we  shall  have  to  turn  back,"  remarked 
the  Spaniard  with  gravity.  "We  may  not  escape 
the  incoming  tide  if  we  go  on." 

"Don't  you  believe  it,"  cried  Jim,  impetuously. 
"I've  got  business  ahead  and  must  go." 

"Have  it  your  way,"  said  the  Spaniard  with  a 
peculiar  smile.  He  knew  what  dangers  lay  ahead 
with  a  rising  tide  and  Jim  did  not  or  he  probably 
would  not  have  been  so  insistent. 

"I  see  no  sign  of  Jo,"  remarked  Jim,  as  they 
swung  into  the  saddles. 

"Ah,  we  will  not  catch  him.  He  is  safe,"  re- 
plied the  Spaniard. 

Then  with  tremendous  speed,  they  swept  down 
the  beach,  the  splendid  horses  responding  to  the 
crisis.  It  was  their  fleetness  against  the  steadily 
rising  rush  of  the  inexorable  sea.  They  actually 
gained  ten  minutes  on  the  first  two  miles  and  a 
half.  Then  Jim  saw  ahead  the  dark  form  of  a 
headland  thrusting  out  towards  the  sea. 

Already  the  rush  of  a  long  wave  would  send  the 


182    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

water  lapping  around  their  horses'  feet.  Jim 
recognized  the  danger.  They  must  get  around 
that  promontory  or  give  up  beaten.  Then  he  gave 
Caliente  a  touch  with  a  spur,  the  first  that  day. 
With  a  snort,  the  spirited  animal  sprang  forward 
faster  than  before  and  at  his  shoulder  was  the 
chestnut  with  flaming  nostril. 

None  too  soon  had  they  reached  the  headland, 
for  the  recurrent  waves  were  beginning  to  surge 
against  it,  with  full  force  and  gnawing  foam.  In 
the  fierce  fury  of  their  charge,  they  sent  their 
horses  against  the  sea.  It  was  at  the  long  with- 
drawal that  made  bare  the  scattered  black  rocks, 
that  they  rounded  the  headland. 

But  too  soon  a  great  thundering  wave  with  the 
force  of  the  Pacific  behind  it  came  roaring  in 
and  swelled  to  the  horses'  throats,  almost  sub- 
merging the  riders.  But  the  animals  held  against 
its  withdrawing  power  and  before  the  ocean  could 
return  to  the  attack,  they  had  got  beyond  the  head- 
land to  a  safe  place  on  the  beach. 

The  horses  were  trembling  and  quivering  with 
their  exertions  and  with  the  fear  of  the  sea 
which  is  the  most  terrible  and  paralyzing  of 
all  fears.  Jim  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief  and 
looked  ahead  to  see  if  there  was  any  sign  of  Jo. 


RACE  WITH  THE  TIDE  183 

Then  to  his  consternation  he  saw  that  the  beach 
curved  inland  and  at  the  further  end  of  the  curve 
was  another  frowning  headland  thrusting  itself 
out  somewhat  further  than  the  one  they  had  but 
just  rounded. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

THE    ENCHANTED     ISLE 

Let  us  now  return  to  the  Sea  Eagle,  and  find  out 
what  is  happening  there. 

You  recollect  that  Juarez  had  just  discovered  two 
islands  lying  on  the  South-eastern  horizon,  the  one, 
long  and  low,  the  other  comparatively  short  and 
dumpy.  He  had  been  conversing  with  the  tall  shep- 
herd of  the  island,  who  seemed  to  take  an  interest  in 
Juarez.  But  because  of  his  isolated  life  during  a 
greater  part  of  the  year,  he  would  have  taken  an 
interest  in  a  stone  idol,  if  he  had  chanced  to  dis- 
cover one. 

"Which  of  these  islands  are  we  making  for?"  in- 
quired Juarez. 

"The  one  where  we  land,"  replied  the  sheep  far- 
mer oracularly.  "I  might  ask  the  Cap'n,  only  I  never 
pester  him  with  questions.  You  aren't  a  Yankee, 
are  you?" 

"No,"  replied  Juarez,  "I'm  not.    My  folks  J<ve  in 

Western  Kansas." 

184 


THE  ENCHANTED  ISLE  185 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  it,  son.  But  what  are  you  doing 
here?"  he  asked. 

"You  aren't  a  Yankee,  are  you  ?"  inquired  Juarez, 
quizzically.  The  man  laughed  softly  to  himself. 

"You've  got  me  there,  lad,"  he  said.  "It  looks  to 
me,"  he  continued,  "that  the  old  man  is  going  to 
steer  for  the  further  island." 

"Then  you  will  have  to  swim  for  your  home,"  re- 
marked Juarez. 

"I  can  wade,"  he  replied  whimsically,  looking 
down  at  his  long  legs. 

"You  are  a  humorist,"  said  Juarez. 

"No,  you  can  put  me  down  for  a  philosopher, 
that  is  to  say,  a  man  who  has  much  time  to  think 
and  nothing  to  do." 

"I  should  like  to  be  one,"  said  Juarez.  "Suppose 
you  holy-stone  these  decks  while  I  try  it." 

"No,  my  friend,"  replied  the  shepherd,  "I  am  too 
much  of  a  philosopher  to  make  any  such  swap." 

"Is  Captain  Broom  one?"  asked  Juarez. 

"Well,  he  is  a  sort  of  a  philosopher  till  he  gets 
mad,  then  he  becomes  a  living  active  volcano,  belch- 
ing out  a  lava  of  hot  language  and  scorching  things 
generally.  I  guess  that  I  had  better  be  moving  along. 
I  see  that  he  is  eyeing  me  from  the  Bridge,  and  he  is 
likely  to  get  active  any  moment  if  I  keep  you  from 
working.1'  With  this  the  lanky  shepherd  strolled 


186    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

forward  and  seating  himself  upon  the  top  of  the 
boys'  sleeping  place  in  the  bow,  smoked  his  pipe  in 
meditative  comfort. 

His  estimate  in  regard  to  the  destination  of  the 
Sea  Eagle  proved  to  be  correct.  For  in  the  early 
afternoon  the  ship  passed  under  the  lee  of  the  long 
island  and  was  steaming  up  the  channel  between  it 
and  the  mainland,  which  was  distant  some  thirty- 
five  miles. 

The  fog  had  cleared  by  noon,  and  there  was  that 
complete  transition  to  brilliant,  sunny  weather. 
There  was  a  sort  of  a  white  haze  along  the  distant 
coast  and  beyond  far  inland,  rose  the  faint  summits 
of  the  high  mountains. 

Fortunately  Juarez  and  Tom  had  a  chance  to 
observe  their  new  surroundings  for  they  had  been 
set  to  work  sewing  on  a  small  sail  that  was  to  be 
used  in  one  of  the  boats.  They  sat  upon  the  top  of 
one  of  the  hatches,  under  the  watchful  eyes  of  old 
Pete  and  the  philosophic  gaze  of  the  shepherd. 
Sewing  was  one  of  the  accomplishments  of  the 
Frontier  Boys.  They  had  been  obliged  to  learn. 

"What  is  that  particular  bronze  looking  weed, 
floating  in  these  waters?"  asked  Tom.  It  was  as 
Tom  phrased  it,  bronze  and  a  most  beautiful  color. 

it  was  indeed  a  giant  among  weeds ;  just  such  as 
the  garden  of  the  ocean  would  grow.  The  stems 


THE  ENCHANTED  ISLE  187 

were  fifty  to  eighty  feet  long,  with  peculiar  colored 
leaves  eight  to  ten  inches  in  length,  growing  on  little 
boughs  from  the  parent  stem.  The  whole  structure 
was  held  up  by  small  bronze  buoys,  of  a  round  shape. 

"Well  as  ye  seem  likely  boys  and  want  to  learn, 
I'll  tell  you  about  this  plant,"  said  the  shepherd. 
"The  scientific  fellows  call  it  Algae.  When  the 
world  was  first  made  this  algae  covered  the  whole 
surface  of  the  ocean." 

"How  did  you  learn  this  ?"  asked  Juarez. 

"You  know  that  the  Captain  is  quite  a  collector, 
and  in  his  travels  has  gotten  together  among  many 
other  things  some  interesting  books.  He  gives  them 
to  me  when  convenient."  The  face  of  the  lanky 
shepherd  was  perfectly  grave  when  he  spoke  of 
Captain  Broom  as  a  collector. 

"What  makes  the  water  so  clear  around  here?" 
asked  Juarez.  "I  never  saw  anything  like  it." 

"Well,  you  see,"  replied  their  mentor,  "this  island 
is  placed  peculiarly,  I  mean  this  side  of  it.  You 
see  how  quiet  the  water  is?" 

"It  is  certainly  smooth  and  blue,"  said  Juarez. 
"More  like  a  lake  than  the  ocean." 

"That's  only  true  of  this  side,"  resumed  the 
shepherd,  "the  other  is  rough  enough,  but  you  see 
the  prevailing  winds  are  from  the  North-west  and 
this  shore  is  never  disturbed.  So  on  the  beaches 


i88    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

you  will  find  not  sand,  but  smooth  round  pebbles, 
because  there  is  no  action  of  the  water,  no  breakers 
or  waves  to  grind  them  into  sand." 

About  four  o'clock  the  Sea  Eagle  came  into  a  per- 
fectly beautiful  little  harbor,  at  the  South-eastern 
end  of  the  island.  There  was  a  small  level  plot 
back  from  the  beach  and  on  all  sides  rose  steep  hills 
and  back  of  them  the  mountains.  It  was  the  most 
picturesque  scene  the  boys  had  ever  beheld  in  all 
their  travels. 

What  would  they  not  have  given  to  have  been  free 
to  roam  that  island,  hunting  inland,  or  fishing  or 
bathing  along  those  quiet,  enchanted  shores.  But  this 
was  no  pleasure  excursion.  Far  from  it.  Captain 
Broom  had  his  own  ideas,  and  he  did  not  intend 
to  make  a  landing  at  all. 

"Get  the  whale  boat  ready,  lads!"  he  ordered. 
"And  put  her  over,  we've  got  no  time  to  lose." 

They  lost  no  time  either,  under  Captain  Broom's 
commanding  eye. 

What  was  necessary  for  the  cruise  was  already  in 
the  boat.  Two  casks  of  water,  several  guns,  and  a 
lot  of  provisions.  Then  the  boat  was  hove  over- 
board into  the  quiet  bay.  The  captain  was  ready 
with  a  much  battered  satchel  in  his  hand.  Not  for 
one  second  did  he  entrust  it  to  any  one  else. 

"Now  over  with  you,  you  two  lads,"  he  com- 


TEE  ENCHANTED  ISLE  189 

manded  and  Juarez  and  Tom,  with  a  sinking  of  the 
heart,  got  into  the  boat.  This  was  the  last  leg  of  their 
mysterious  journey,  and  it  boded  them  no  good 
they  felt  sure  of  that.  The  mate  they  noticed  stayed 
aboard  in  charge  of  the  ship. 

They  were  put  in  the  stern  where  old  Pete  had  the 
steering  oar.  Near  them  sat  the  shepherd  on  one  of 
the  casks  of  water,  his  long  legs  getting  uncertain 
accommodation.  The  captain  had  his  position  in  the 
bow  and  two  powerful  sailors  were  at  the  oars,  one 
on  either  side.  They  did  not  sit  down,  but  stood  up 
to  their  work. 

Without  any  loss  of  time  the  boat  got  under  way 
proceeding  seaward  from  the  shelter  of  the  beautiful 
little  harbor.  In  spite  of  their  depression,  the  two 
boys  could  not  help  being  interested  in  the  absolutely 
clear  water  in  which  they  could  look  down  for 
eighty  feet. 

They  could  see  the  straight  slender  columns  of  the 
Algae  rising  to  the  surface,  starting  from  where 
they  were  rooted  in  the  bottom  of  the  bay  and  sway- 
ing to  the  slow  pulsation  of  the  tide.  These  strange 
plants  of  this  marine  garden  were  marvels  indeed. 
Between  their  stalks  and  among  the  encrusted  rocks 
swam  in  absolute  unconsciousness  of  being  watched, 
many  beautiful,  and  strange  fishes. 

Some  were  small  of  golden  hue,  with  little  spots 


190    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

of  a  marvelous  blue  (poetry)  that  flashed  like  keen 
electric  dew.  (that  will  do).  Others  were  like  gold 
fishes,  a  foot  in  length  and  of  corresponding 
breadth.  There  were  long  mackerel,  and  innum- 
erable minnows,  and  over  the  rocks  a  peculiar  little 
fish  crawled  or  rather  walked  on  thin  rat-like  feet. 
Before  they  had  time  to  observe  further  the  boat 
had  got  out  of  the  harbor  where  the  water  sunk  away 
to  blue  unfathomed  depth.  When  clear  of  the  har- 
bor, they  turned  to  the  South,  passing  near  a  cove 
with  a  symmetrical  pebbly  beach,  built  up  for  five 
feet,  above  the  level  of  the  water.  The  ocean  was 
perfectly  smooth,  with  not  a  ripple  upon  its  surface. 
They  were  evidently  making  to  round  the  Southern 
extremity  of  the  Island. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

IN    THE     WHITE    BOAT 

Ahead  of  them  was  a  rock  rising  fifty  or  sixty 
feet  out  of  the  water.  It  was  evident  that  the  rock 
was  inhabited  for  there  could  be  seen  dark  forms 
moving  around  upon  it.  Nothing  had  been  said 
since  they  started,  for  the  Captain  was  not  in  a 
talkative  mood.  Jeems  Howell,  the  shepherd,  had 
sat  silently  smoking  his  pipe  in  philosophic  content- 
ment. 

"What  are  those  things  on  that  rock?"  inquired 
Tom,  his  curiosity  getting  the  best  of  his  reserve. 

"Two  yankees  in  this  boat,"  commented  the 
shepherd.  "Those  are  seals,  son.  Didn't  you  ever 
see  any  before  ?" 

"No !"  admitted  Tom. 

"You  didn't  know  that  seals,  next  to  humans,  are 
the  smartest  animals,  in  the  world." 

"Is  that  so?"  inquired  Juarez.  "They  certainly 
are  sleek." 

"They  have  got  the  most  brain  room,  that's  a 
fact." 

191 


192    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

The  boys  regarded  the  seals  with  peculiar  interest 
as  the  boat  passed  near  the  rock.  They  were  moving 
about  awkwardly  by  means  of  their  flippers,  moving 
their  sinuous  necks  this  way  and  that  and  re- 
garding the  strange  boat  with  their  soft  brown  eyes. 
Then  they  dived  headlong  into  the  sea,  swimming 
about  with  a  peculiar  grace. 

"Queer  animals,"  remarked  Tom,  "belong  half  to 
the  sea  and  half  to  the  land." 

"Something  like  sailors,"  remarked  the  shepherd. 

"What's  the  Captain  going  to  do  with  us  ?"  asked 
Juarez  in  a  low  voice.  The  shepherd's  face  took  on 
a  solemn  expression,  but  before  he  could  reply  the 
Captain's  voice  roared. 

"None  of  that,  you'll  find  out  soon  enough.  You 
can  talk  about  the  flory  and  fauny,  with  long  shanks, 
but  don't  let  me  hear  anything  else  out  of  you,"  such 
was  the  Captain's  ultimatum. 

But  soon  matters  grew  so  interesting  that  they  lost 
all  inclination  for  talking.  When  they  got  near  the 
Southern  end  of  the  island  they  began  to  notice 
white  caps  to  the  Southward,  dotting  the  darkness 
of  the  sea. 

"You  lads  will  have  to  hold  tight  now  in  a  few 
minutes,"  remarked  Howell.  "Do  you  get  sea- 
sick?" 

"No,"  replied  the  boys. 


IN  THE  WHITE  BOAT  193 

"Well,  you  will  have  a  chance  soon,  and  if  it  don't 
fetch  you,  nothing  will." 

So  far  they  had  been  rowing  under  the  sheltering 
lee  of  the  island  whose  huge  rocky  bulk  had  shoul- 
dered off  the  charge  of  the  wind-driven  seas.  Now 
before  they  had  fairly  rounded  the  island  the  charac- 
ter of  the  water  began  to  change.  The  boat  began  to 
toss  on  the  great  rollers.  Then  as  they  cleared  the 
land  for  good  and  were  in  the  channel,  a  fresh  gust 
of  wind  struck  them,  drenching  the  occupants  of  the 
boat  with  spray. 

The  Captain  stood  up  in  the  bow  of  the  boat  and 
steadying  himself  took  in  the  conditions  of  the  sea 
and  wind.  There  was  nothing  in  his  grim  weather- 
beaten  face  to  show  what  he  felt.  The  men  at  the 
oars  now  made  hard  work  of  it  against  the  head- 
wind and  the  running  sea. 

They  would  climb  up  a  steep  wave  and  then  with 
a  sickening  slide,  go  down  into  the  hollow,  then  with 
a  lusty  pull  the  sailors  would  bring  the  heavy  boat 
over  the  toppling  crest  of  wave  to  find  another  rush- 
ing to  meet  them.  No  rest,  this  was  what  made  it 
such  heart  breaking  work. 

The  early  fog  had  come,  covering  the  sea  with 
gloom,  and  the  waves  did  not  go  down  perceptibly. 
At  times,  they  shipped  a  good  deal  of  water  and 
Tom  and  Juarez  were  kept  busy  bailing  out.  After 


194    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

an  hour's  hard  struggle  the  sailors  were  about  all 
in  and  seemed  hardly  able  to  hold  their  own  against 
the  sea  and  wind.  The  Captain  was  quick  to  notice 
this. 

"Can  you  row,  lad?"  he  inquired  of  Juarez.  Now 
the  latter's  experience  had  been  confined  to  his  work 
going  down  the  Grand  Canyon  of  Colorado,  on  the 
raft-boat  that  the  Frontier  Boys  had  built. 

Even  the  old  ocean  itself  could  not  show  anything 
worse  than  some  of  the  rapids  that  the  boys  had  run. 
As  for  rocks,  nothing  could  beat  the  canyon  for 
them. 

"I'll  try,  sir,"  he  replied,  "I've  never  rowed  on  the 
ocean." 

"Humph!"  grunted  the  Captain,  "take  the  star- 
board. And  you,  you  lazy  long  shanks,  you  take  the 
other  oar." 

"All  right,  sir,"  replied  cheerfully,  the  one  ad- 
dressed. 

"Get  out  of  here,  Pete,"  he  cried,  giving  that 
worthy  a  lift  with  his  foot  that  landed  him  on  top  of 
Tom,  "I'll  do  the  steering.  You  boys  will  only  have 
to  pull,  that's  all.  I'll  keep  her  headed  up  right." 

Fortunately  Juarez  was  in  fine  condition,  or  he 
could  never  have  stood  the  gruelling  work  ahead. 
He  weighed  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  and  there 
was  not  an  ounce  of  fat  on  him.  Likewise  he  had 


IN  THE  WHITE  BOAT  195 

had  a  sound  night' s  sleep  and  three  square  meals 
so  that  he  was  f orti  fied  for  what  was  ahead. 

Juarez  buckled  to  the  task  with  all  his  strength, 
and  he  was  glad  of  the  chance  to  get  his  blood  in 
circulation  for  he  was  chilled  to  the  bone  by  the  fly- 
ing spray,  and  then  too,  anything  was  better  than 
thinking  of  the  fate  ahead.  He  was  surprised  to 
find  out  that  the  shepherd  who  appeared  rather 
frail  in  physique  was  able  to  keep  up  the  pace. 

But  he  had  that  sinewy  length  of  muscles  that 
counts  for  more  than  mere  bunchy  thickness. 
Juarez  was  crafty  enough  not  to  spend  all  of  his 
strength  in  the  first  fifteen  minutes  of  work.  He 
liked  this,  fighting  the  sea  and  standing  on  his  feet 
he  was  able  to  put  the  whole  leverage  of  his  body  in- 
to the  stroke. 

The  change  in  speed  was  noticeable  right  away, 
and  the  boat  began  to  pull  ahead  steadily.  The  two 
sailors  who  had  been  laid  off  from  exhaustion,  had 
watched  Juarez  with  a  sneering  grin  as  he  took  the 
oar.  They  were  sure  that  the  first  wave  that  came 
along  would  wrench  the  oar  out  of  his  hand.  Great 
was  their  surprise  when  they  saw  him  buckle  to  the 
oar,  rising  and  pulling  at  the  right  time  to  meet 
the  toppling,  rustling  seas. 

"That  little  shrimp  will  last  about  ten  minutes," 
said  one  of  them  to  his  mate. 


196 

"Sure,  Bill,"  replied  the  other. 

Juarez  choked  back  a  hot  reply,  for  he  knew  that 
it  would  not  be  good  for  him  to  say  anything  to  them. 
They  were  in  the  majority  and  would  get  him  if  he 
did,  besides  making  it  bad  for  Tom.  The  ten  minutes 
passed  and  Juarez  was  just  beginning  to  warm  to 
his  work.  This  took  the  wind  out  of  their  sails 
completely. 

The  powerful  hand  of  the  Skipper  at  the  steering 
oar  was  a  great  help,  for  now  all  that  the  two  men 
at  the  oars  had  to  do  was  to  pull  and  not  to  worry 
about  keeping  her  headed  right.  Juarez  kept 
steadily  at  it  for  an  hour  and  then  darkness  began 
to  fall  over  the  channel  but  not  until  the  island  that 
they  were  approaching  had  begun  to  loom  up,  dead 
ahead. 

They  were  now  getting  in  the  lee  of  the  strange 
island  and  the  sea  was  moderating  perceptibly.  At 
this  juncture  the  two  sailors  who  had  become 
thoroughly  rested  took  the  oars  from  Juarez  and  his 
co-worker  and  pulled  steadily  through  the  gathering 
gloom.  In  a  short  time  the  bulk  of  the  island 
loomed  above  them  in  the  darkness. 

Not  a  word  was  said,  only  the  swish  of  the  sea 
was  heard  and  the  groaning  of  the  oars  in  the  locks. 
Tom  and  Juarez  were  deeply  depressed  and  gloomy. 
They  felt  exactly  as  though  they  were  being  taken 


IN  THE  WHITE  BOAT  197 

to  prison  and  could  sympathize  with  sailors  who  had 
been  marooned  on  lonely  and  desolate  islands. 

"Easy  now,  lads,"  called  the  Captain,  as  he  brought 
the  boat's  head  squarely  around  towards  the  shore. 
"Two  strokes,"  he  yelled,  "and  let  her  run." 
With  great  force  they  pulled  the  oars  in  succes- 
sion, then  they  shipped  them  in  a  hurry.    Juarea 
could  see  the  dashing  of  foam  on  either  side  of  the 
boat  where  the  waves  smote  the  rocks.    There  was  a 
roar  in  his  ears  as  the  boat  rushed  toward  seeming 
sure  destruction.     It  was  going  with  great  speed 
from  the  impetus  of  the  sailors'  strokes. 

The  Captain  was  standing  taut  at  the  steering 
oars,  his  eyes  piercing  the  darkness  ahead,  then  the 
foam  of  the  breakers  dashed  in  their  faces,  there 
was  a  quick  sliding  past  of  dark  rocks  and  before 
they  could  draw  breath  again  the  boat  was  in  quiet 
water,  under  some  black  cliffs.  At  last  they  had 
reached  the  mysterious  goal  of  their  mysterious 
journey. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

IN    PERIL 

We  must  now  go  back  in  our  narrative  to  where 
we  left  Jim  Darlington  and  the  Spaniard,  Senor 
Sebastian,  in  a  position  of  extreme  peril,  between 
the  cliffs  and  the  deep  sea,  with  the  white-fanged 
tide  coming  in  like  a  devouring  monster  eager  for 
its  prey. 

"Is  there  a  chance,  Senor?"  cried  Jim  as  soon 
as  his  horse  gained  his  footing. 

"It  is  the  fatal  day,  I  fear,"  replied  the  Span- 
iard with  resigned  hopelessness.  "The  sea  is  hun- 
gry." 

"As  for  that,  so  am  I,"  declared  Jim  coolly.  "So 
let  us  try  to  get  around  the  headland  and  after  that, 
supper." 

"As  you  please,"  acquiesced  the  Spaniard  quiet- 

iy- 

Then   Jim  turned   Caliente's  head  and   with   a 
quick  touch  of  the  spur  sent  him  full  stride  along 
the  curving  beach,  followed  closely  by  the  Span- 
iard.   Already  the  heavy  waves  were  licking  far 
198 


IN  PERIL  199 

up  the  slant  of  the  sand.  Even  the  veteran  Ca- 
liente  seemed  nervous  at  its  approach,  while  Don 
Fernando  would  jump  and  shy  as  the  hissing  wa- 
ter crept  around  his  feet. 

In  about  two  minutes  the  two  horsemen  reached 
the  base  of  the  rocky  headland  that  barred  their 
way.  It  was  a  desperate  moment,  there  was 
but  one  thing  to  do  and  that  was  to  take  the 
chance. 

"Better  be  drowned  quick,  Caliente,  old  boy," 
cried  Jim,  "than  slowly,  but  we'll  beat  you  yet," 
and  he  shook  his  clenched  fist  at  the  ocean,  and 
whirled  his  horse  to  meet  a  wave  that  struck 
Caliente  breast  high.  So  for  a  moment,  the  two, 
boy  and  horse,  stood  facing  their  powerful  enemy, 
The  Sea,  that  came  with  the  recurring  charge, 
its  evenly  separated  files  robed  in  blue  with  white 
crests.  Thus  they  stood  getting  a  full  free  breath 
before  they  leaped  into  the  ranks  of  the  foe. 

Jim's  strained,  keen  gaze  took  in  every  detail  of 
the  situation,  noting  the  position  of  the  rocks  that 
a  receding  wave  left  bare,  so  that  he  might  find  a 
clear  path  or  trail  in  his  dash  for  life.  Nor  did 
his  gaze  flinch  as  he  saw  the  advancing  wave 
break  against  the  front  of  the  cliff. 

"Now,  Caliente,"  yelled  Jim,  with  a  sense  of 
fierce  determination  and  exultation  that  communi- 


200    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

cated  itself  to  his  horse,  and  lifting  his  feet  free 
from  the  stirrups  so  that  he  would  not  be  en- 
tangled, if  Caliente  should  fall,  he  headed  him 
seaward,  galloping  fast  down  the  beach  upon  the 
heejs  of  the  withdrawing  wave. 

Meeting  a  smaller  inrush  of  water  and  dashing 
through  its  foaming  crest,  his  gallant  horse  swam 
until  he  got  a  foothold  upon  the  rocks  at  the  base 
of  the  cliff.  Now  was  the  crucial  moment.  With 
absolute  recklessness,  Jim  urged  his  powerful 
horse  over  the  foam-covered  rocks,  striving  to 
get  around  the  prow  of  the  headland  before  the 
charge  of  the  next  wave.  Not  one  look  did  Jim 
give  seaward,  all  his  energies  were  bent  upon 
using  every  precious  second,  and  Caliente  was 
filled  with  his  rider's  indomitable  spirit. 

Then  above  them  towered  the  fatal  wave,  and 
with  a  confused  roar,  it  broke  over  them  in  swel- 
tering foam  and  they  were  swept  towards  the 
black  front  of  the  cliff.  Then  came  the  impact 
against  the  rock  and  the  next  moment,  stunned 
and  bruised,  Jim  holding  to  the  pommel  of  the 
saddle,  with  a  death-grip,  was  carried  out  to  sea 
with  Caliente  in  the  grasp  of  the  retreating  wave. 

It  was  all  over,  as  like  pieces  of  drift,  horse 
and  rider  were  swept  away,  but  fortune  does 
sometime  favor  the  brave  and,  being  caught  in  a 


IN  PERIL  201 

powerful  current,  Caliente  was  carried  South  of 
the  headland  and  his  progress  towards  the  sea  was 
stayed  by  a  rock  that  rose  high,  an  outer-guard  of 
the  headland.  So  then  the  next  great  wave  bore 
them  toward  the  beach,  and  once  Caliente  got  his 
feet  upon  the  sandy  bottom  he  braced  himself 
against  the  fierce  pull  of  the  retreating  sea,  striv- 
ing to  drag  him  back  again. 

Though  almost  unconscious,  Jim  clung  to  the 
saddle  with  his  body  half-drooping  over  the  pom- 
mel. Then  Caliente  plunged  blindly  forward  un- 
til he  stood  with  head  bent  down  and  nose  almost 
touching  the  sand,  his  great  sides  heaving,  but 
safe  at  last. 

In  the  distance,  a  horseman  could  be  seen  com- 
ing at  full  gallop  along  the  straight  line  of  the 
beach.  It  was  Jo,  who  finally  had  become  fright- 
ened by  the  non-appearance  of  his  two  comrades 
and  had  turned  back.  His  fright  had  been  in- 
creased by  seeing  a  horse  and  rider  coming  appar- 
ently out  of  the  sea. 

When  he  came  up,  he  found  his  brother  Jim 
sitting  on  the  sand  still  half  dazed  but  slowly  com- 
ing to  himself. 

"Where's  the  Senor,  Jim?"  cried  Jo.  This 
question  served  to  bring  Jim  completely  to  him- 
self. He  got  up,  looking  pale,  with  one  side  of 


202    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

his  face  bruised  to  a  real  blackness,  and  the  flesh 
of  his  left  hand  badly  torn,  where  it  had  struck 
the  cliff,  but  he  was  not  thinking  of  these  matters. 

"Why,  Jo,  the  Senor  came  after  me.  Where  is 
he?"  Then  it  came  over  him  all  at  once,  that  his 
companion  was  even  now  caught  between  the  jaws 
of  the  black  cliff. 

"We  must  get  to  him,  Jo,"  he  cried. 

"But  how  did  you  ever  get  around  that  cliff?" 
asked  Jo. 

Already  it  was  an  awesome  sight  as  the  waves 
crashed  in  foam  against  its  front  and  rushed  shore- 
ward along  its  black  sides.  It  seemed  impossible 
that  only  fifteen  minutes  before  Jim  had  actually 
come  around  that  foaming  headland. 

In  reply  to  Jo's  question,  Jim  threw  his  arms 
around  Caliente's  neck  with  warm  affection. 

"This  is  the  old  fellow  that  pulled  me  through," 
he  cried.  "But  we  must  go  to  the  help  of  our 
Spanish  friend." 

"How  can  we?"  inquired  Jo.  "We  can't  get. 
around  the  headland  unless  we  become  fishes." 

Jim  considered  the  problem  carefully.  One 
thing  he  was  determined  on  and  that  was  not  to 
leave  the  Spaniard  who  had  been  so  hospitable 
and  helpful  to  them. 

"No,  we  can't  go  around  by  the  headland,"  he 


IN  PERIL  203 

determined,  "but  we  might  be  able  to  find  a  way 
over  the  rocks  and  down  on  the  other  side." 

"All  right,  I'm  ready." 

"Let's  find  a  place  for  Caliente  first,"  advised 
his  owner.  Back  a  short  distance  from  the  beach 
there  were  some  trees  on  a  lower  spur  of  the 
mountain.  Here  Jim  brought  Caliente  and  took 
off  the  saddle  and  bridle. 

"Now  make  yourself  comfortable,"  said  Jim. 

Caliente,  in  seeming  recognition  of  what  was 
said,  took  immediate  advantage  of  the  invitation 
and  rolled  heartily  in  a  dry  and  dusty  spot. 

"Get  your  lasso,  Jo,"  urged  Jim,  "and  we  will 
start." 

So  together  they  made  for  the  steep  rock  and 
soon  reached  the  base  of  it,  and  now  began  a  hard 
climb,  but  no  more  difficult  than  they  had  encoun- 
tered before  in  their  travels. 

"Do  you  recollect,  Jim,"  inquired  Jo,  "that  day 
you  got  stalled  in  our  first  canyon  in  Colorado, 
when  you  tried  to  imitate  an  eagle  and  fly  up 
a  precipitous  cliff  and  we  had  to  get  you 
down  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,  I  remember,"  replied  Jim,  "and  how 
I  scared  you  and  Tom  by  pretending  that  an  In- 
jun was  after  me,  when  I  went  down  to  the  creek 
for  water." 


204    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"Poor  Tom,"  said  Jo  sadly,  "I  wonder  when  we 
will  see  him  again." 

"In  a  couple  of  days,"  stoutly  declared  the  op- 
timistic Jim. 

They  were  now  going  up  the  face  of  the  cliff, 
the  lariats  over  their  shoulders,  and  searching 
with  careful  feet  for  a  foothold,  while  their  hands 
clutched  some  piece  of  projecting  rock. 

"Lucky  this  rock  isn't  rotten,"  cried  Jo,  "or  we 
would  find  ourselves  stuck  headfirst  in  the  sand 
below." 

"Like  an  ostrich,"  said  Jim.  "We  couldn't  do 
much  in  a  place  like  this  without  our  moccasins, 
that's  certain." 

The  moccasins  did  make  them  nimble  as  goats, 
and  they  not  only  made  possible  a  secure  hold, 
but  they  protected  as  well  the  feet.  At  first  they 
were  not  in  any  grave  danger  of  a  fall  because  the 
drifted  sand  at  the  bottom  of  the  cliff  would  have 
made  a  soft  landing.  But  after  a  while  they  were 
forced  to  work  their  way  out  over  the  rushing  wa- 
ter, then  if  they  had  slipped  and  fallen  it  would 
have  been  all  up  with  them. 

It  seemed  as  if  the  sea,  furious  at  having  lost 
Jim  a  short  while  ago,  was  making  fierce  efforts 
to  get  at  them  now.  The  great  waves  foamed 
against  the  cliff  and  the  spray  dashed  over  the 


IN  PERIL  205 

boys,  making  the  surface  of  the  rock  treacherous 
and  slippery. 

"I  can't  bear  to  look  down,"  said  Jo.  "It  makes 
me  dizzy." 

"Look  up,  then,"  Jim  called  back. 

"That's  almost  as  bad,"  replied  Jo. 

"Keep  'em  shut  then,"  was  Jim's  command. 

Finally  they  came  to  a  place  that  stopped  Jo  en- 
tirely. Jim  was  able  to  get  over  it,  because  of  his 
superior  height  and  reach,  and  he  attained  a  point 
of  safety  above  Jo. 

"What  am  I  going  to  do  now?"  cried  Jo.  "I 
can't  go  any  higher  and  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
go  back." 

"You  wait,"  urged  Jim,  "till  I  get  a  secure  foot- 
hold above  here." 

"Oh,  I'll  wait,"  said  Jo  grimly,  "you  don't  ob- 
serve any  anxiety  on  my  part  to  move,  do  you?" 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

TWO  LASSOES 

Finally  Jim  reached  a  broad  ledge,  that  gave 
him  an  excellent  foothold,  and  he  got  his  lariat 
ready  and  dangled  the  loop  under  Jo's  nose. 

"What  are  you  going  to  hang  me  for  ?"  inquired 

Jo. 

"For  a  horse  thief,  I  reckon,"  replied  Jim,  "that 
bay  don't  belong  to  you  does  it,  Mister?" 

"Meaning  this  ocean  bay?"   queried  Jo. 

"I  certainly  will  hang  you  for  that,"  retorted 
Jim,  "Now  get  the  loop  under  your  armpits." 

"All  ready,"  cried  Jo. 

Then  Jim,  bracing  himself,  kept  a  taut  line  on 
his  brother,  and  with  this  help  he  was  able  quite 
easily  to  get  over  the  slippery,  bare  belt  of  rock, 
and  in  a  few  moments  was  safe  with  Jim  on  the 
ledge. 

"It  won't  take  us  long  now,"  said  Jo,  "to  get 
to  the  other  side." 

"Let's  give  him  a  yell,"  suggested  Jim,  "to  let 
him  know  that  we  are  coming." 
206 


TWO  LASSOES  207 

Then  Jim  put  his  hands  to  his  lips  and  cried : 

"Senor,  ahoy."  They  listened  breathlessly  and 
in  a  few  moments  came  a  faint  reply.  This  put 
renewed  energy  into  the  boys  and  as  the  way  was 
now  easier,  they  leaped  ahead,  agile  as  goats,  and 
had  soon  reached  the  top  of  the  cliff.  They  looked 
eagerly  down. 

There  was  the  deep  short  semi-circle  of  the 
little  bay  with  the  waves  heaving  in  against  the 
cliffs  and  at  the  point  midway  between  the  two 
head-lands,  where  the  beach  was  highest,  they  saw 
the  Spaniard  on  Don  Fernando.  Already  the  en- 
croaching waves  were  gnawing  at  them. 

It  was  only  a  question  of  minutes  now,  and 
horse  and  rider  would  be  carried  out  to  sea.  The 
Spaniard  sat  like  a  statute.  It  was  seemingly  pos- 
sible for  him  to  have  made  his  escape  up  the  cliffs, 
which  were  not  overly  precipitous,  like  those  Jim 
and  Jo  had  just  scaled,  but  he  was  a  fatalist  and 
believed  that  his  day  had  come.  Perhaps  he  did 
not  want  to  abandon  his  horse,  in  which  his  pride 
was  centered. 

"Cheer  up,  Senor,  we'll  be  there,"  yelled  Jim. 

Then  followed  by  Jo,  he  sprang  forward,  leap- 
ing from  rock  to  rock,  and  from  jutting  point  to 
opportune  foot-hold.  It  was  dangerous  and  daring 
work,  but  the  life  of  their  friend  was  at  stake  and 


208    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

the  boys  were  not  the  kind  to  consider  their  own 
safety  at  such  a  time. 

It  was  only  their  sure-footedness  and  varied  ex- 
perience in  climbing  that  saved  them  from  broken 
limbs  or  possible  death.  In  a  remarkably  short 
time,  they  stood  upon  a  ledge  above  the  Spaniard. 

"Here,  Senor,"  yelled  Jim,  "catch  the  rope." 

He  did  as  ordered  but  called  up,  "Is  there  no 
way  to  save  my  horse?" 

Jim  considered  a  moment,  then  shouted:  "All 
right,  yes,  we  will  save  your  horse,  too.  Tie  the 
ends  of  the  lasso  to  the  iron  rings  at  the  ends  of  the 
front  cinch."  This  was  a  broad,  strong  band, 
which  would  furnish  a  good  purchase,  when  Jim 
tossed  down  the  lariat.  The  Spaniard  caught  it 
and  made  it  fast  as  ordered. 

"Now,  fasten  this  under  your  arms,"  ordered 
Jim,  as  he  cast  down  the  second  lariat,  which  be- 
longed to  Jo.  They  then  drew  up  the  Spaniard  to 
safety  and  he  appeared  to  be  pleased  in  a  quiet  way 
but  not  at  all  enthusiastic. 

"I  am  your  eternal  debtor,  Senors,"  he  said  with 
a  courteous  bow. 

"How  was  it  you  did  not  follow  me,  Senor?" 
questioned  Jim,  "when  I  sailed  around  the  head- 
land?" 


TWO  LASSOES  209 

"Don  Fernando  balked,"  replied  the  Senor.  "I 
thought,  too,  that  you  had  been  drowned." 

"Came  near  it,"  replied  Jim.  "I  would,  too,  if 
it  had  not  been  for  Caliente." 

"But  my  poor  Fernando,  he  will  be  drowned," 
cried  the  Spaniard,  now  much  more  excited  about 
the  safety  of  his  steed  than  he  had  been  for  his 
own.  It  did  look  rather  bad  for  the  big  chestnut, 
as  a  large  wave  swelling  in,  almost  took  him  off 
his  feet.  He  began  to  neigh  wildly. 

"Don't  worry,  Don,  old  boy,"  cried  Jim  to  the 
frightened  horse.  "If  you  will  help  yourself." 
There  was  something  in  his  voice  that  seemed  to 
reassure  the  animal. 

"Now,  Jo,  we  will  let  you  down  by  the  lariat 
and  get  the  bridle  reins  over  his  head  and  help 
him  get  a  foothold  on  that  ledge  below  us.  He 
will  be  safe  enough  there,  even  if  he  does  get 
somewhat  damp." 

"Let  me  go.  It  is  my  risk  for  my  horse,"  urged 
the  Spaniard. 

"It  is  no  risk,  Senor,"  replied  Jim.  "You  are 
heavier  than  my  brother  and  stronger  and  can  do 
more  good  on  this  ledge  with  me." 

"The  commands  of  the  General !"  said  the  Span- 
iard with  a  low  bow.  "I  see  your  plan  is  good." 


210    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"We  will  tie  this  end  of  the  lasso  to  the  tree," 
said  Jim,  "so  you  will  feel  perfectly  safe,  Jo." 

The  tree  referred  to  was  a  sturdy,  gnarled  cedar, 
growing  on  the  ledge.  Then  Jim  swung  his 
brother  off  and  with  every  confidence  in  the 
strength  of  the  lariat  to  hold,  Jo  made  his  way 
quickly  and  safely  down,  while  if  he  had  been 
without  the  rope  he  would  have  doubtless  fallen 
into  the  water  below. 

A  wave  surged  in,  submerging  him,  and  then 
started  triumphantly  to  carry  him  out  to  sea,  but 
when  the  lariat  pulled  taut  Jo  struggled  safely 
back  on  the  rock,  while  the  wave  went  grumbling 
back. 

"Catch  the  bridle  now,  Jo,"  urged  Jim.  "Don't 
waste  any  more  time  swimming." 

Thus  adjured,  Jo  grabbed  the  bridle  reins  and 
pulled  them  over  Don  Fernando's  head,  and  braced 
himself  on  the  rock  above.  All  was  ready  now, 
and  the  two  above  held  the  loop  of  the  lasso  that 
had  been  tied  at  the  cinch,  with  both  hands,  and 
they  pulled  together.  Again  a  big  wave  swelled 
in  towards  the  cliff,  which  gave  the  frightened 
horse  a  big  boost. 

Then,  with  Jim  and  the  Spaniard  pulling  might- 
ily from  the  ledge  above,  and  Jo  giving  the  big 
chestnut  a  purchase  by  a  steady  pull  upon  his 


TWO  LASSOES  211 

bridle,  the  horse  scrambled  with  a  mighty  clatter 
and  all  his  frightened  energy  up  the  sloping  rock. 
The  lariat  and  Jo's  work  helped  a  whole  lot. 
Without  the  three,  he  would  never  have  made  it. 

Before  the  next  wave  swept  in,  Don  Fernando 
stood,  trembling  and  dripping,  but  safe,  upon  the 
lower  ledge.  He  seemed  above  the  danger  point 
now,  though  an  unusually  big  wave  welled  up 
around  the  horse's  fetlocks  and  the  spray  was  con- 
tinually dashing  upwards. 

"He  is  all  right  now,"  cried  Jim,  "better  come 
up,  Jo,  where  it  is  dryer." 

"Haul  in  then,"  replied  Jo,  and  then  he  was 
landed  safely  on  the  ledge. 

"Caught  a  speckled  trout,"  exclaimed  Jim  in 
happy  humor  again. 

"Referring  to  my  freckles,  I  suppose,"  grinned 
Jo.  "If  I'm  a  fish,  I  reckon  Don  Fernando  is  a 
whale." 

"Do  you  suppose  he  is  safe?"  inquired  the  Span- 
iard anxiously. 

"Who,  Jo?" 

"Ah,  no,"  said  the  Spaniard  smilingly.  "I  mean 
the  Don.  The  water  seems  to  be  rising." 

"You  may  rest  assured  that  he  is  safe,"  replied 
Jim.  "It  is  the  turn  of  the  tide  now,  and  it  is  only 


212    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

a  westerly  wind  that  makes  it  appear  higher.  All 
we  will  have  to  do  now  is  to  wait." 

"It  is  a  great  pity,  this  delay,"  said  the  Span- 
iard warmly.  "You  are  anxious  to  be  on  to  the 
rescue  of  your  brother  and  his  friend.  Anyway, 
I  hope  you  will  succeed  as  well  in  their  case  as 
you  did  in  mine." 

"In  another  hour  we  will  be  able  to  start,"  said 
Jim,  "the  tide  will  then  commence  to  run  out." 

"Where  shall  we  stop  tonight?"  inquired  Jo. 

"Camp  in  the  open  as  usual,"  replied  Jim. 

"I  hope  we  will  get  up  above  the  sea  so  high 
that  it  won't  come  within  a  mile  of  us,"  said  Jo, 
fervently. 

"As  to  a  place  to  stop,  I  will  see  to  that,"  said 
the  Spaniard.  "Do  not  give  yourselves  any  un- 
easiness on  that  score." 

"It's  getting  kind  of  chilly  roosting  up  here," 
remarked  Jo,  plaintively,  "especially  as  the  fog  is 
coming  in." 

"I'll  warm  you,"  said  Jim.  "Put  up  your 
Dukes." 

"You'll  take  the  counts  if  I  put  up  my  Dukes," 
said  Jo,  who  was  an  inveterate  punnist. 

"Shut  up,"  yelled  Jim,  giving  his  brother  a 
hearty  chug  in  the  chest.  Then  they  went  at  it 
hammer  and  tongs,  giving  and  receiving  good 


TWO  LASSOES  213 

hard  blows,  and  after  ten  minutes  of  whaling  at 
each  other,  both  were  plenty  warm.  The  Span- 
iard looked  on  in  mild  wonder. 

"You  Americans  love  the  hard  exercise,"  he 
said.  "I  should  think  you  would  have  great  pleas- 
ure in  resting  awhile." 

"I  got  the  best  of  the  bout,"  declared  Jo.  "See 
how  black  and  blue  your  face  is  on  this  side." 

"You  didn't  do  that,"  protested  Jim.  "That 
was  a  wallop  that  old  Neptune  handed  me  when  he 
bumped  my  head  against  yonder  cliff." 

"Neptune!  Yonder  cliff!"  jeered  Jo.  "You 
ought  to  be  a  story  writer  and  use  fine  words." 

"Me  a  story  writer!"  growled  Jim.  "I  aint  got 
so  low  as  that,  not  so  long  as  I  have  got  two  hands 
to  steal  chickens  with." 


CHAPTER   XXVII 


"Do  you  not  think,  Senor  Darlington,  that  it  is 
now  safe  to  start  ?"  inquired  the  Spaniard,  who  was 
fearful  of  bloodshed,  not  quite  understanding  the 
boys. 

"Certainly,"  responded  Jim,  "we  will  get  Don 
Fernando  down  from  his  perch  and  proceed." 

This  proved  to  be  an  easier  task  than  getting  him 
up.  His  master  lowered  by  the  rope  to  his  side,  one 
scrambling  leap  and  the  horse  was  on  the  firm  wet 
sand  of  the  beach,  almost  knocking  his  master  over 
in  his  eagerness  to  be  on  safe  footing  again.  Don 
Sebastian  now  showed  the  gay  side  of  his  nature,  as 
he  vaulted  into  the  saddle. 

He  swung  his  hat  wildly,  the  blood  mounting  to 
his  face,  and  the  horse  seemed  to  feel  the  sting  and 
excitement  of  his  master's  mood,  as  he  pranced, 
danced  and  caracoled  upon  the  sand  and  ended  up 
by  bowing  in  unison  with  his  master  to  the  two 
American  lads,  who  were  looking  on  with  interest 
and  amusement. 

Then  the  party  made  their  way  quickly  along  the 
214 


ANOTHER  FRIEND  215 

curve  of  the  beach  and  went  around  the  fateful 
headland  with  perfect  safety,  while  quite  a  distance 
out  among  the  hidden  rocks  snarled  the  defeated 
ocean.  Then  Caliente  heard  them  coming  and  he 
quickly  raised  his  head,  neighing  in  welcome  to  Jim 
and  his  comrade,  Don  Fernando. 

Jim  gave  him  a  vigorous  hug  for  more  than  ever 
he  was  fond  of  his  faithful  horse.  In  a  few  minutes 
he  had  him  saddled  and  away  the  three  horsemen 
thudded  in  a  swift  gallop  down  the  beach.  The 
horses  fairly  flew,  the  wind  of  their  speed  tossing 
their  manes  back.  It  was  cool  beneath  the  fog 
laden  sky  and  the  refreshing  sea  air  seemed  to 
give  the  horses  tireless  endurance. 

Soon  three  miles  had  spun  backwards  under  their 
hoofs  and  the  boys  were  filled  with  the  joyous  ex- 
citement of  the  run.  It  seemed  now  that  every  stride 
of  the  horses  was  bringing  them  nearer  to  the 
hoped-for  rescue  of  Tom  and  Juarez.  And  this  was 
an  incentive  to  their  energy. 

"Here,  friends,  is  where  we  branch  off  from  the 
beach,"  cried  the  Spaniard. 

Then  he  turned  his  horse  to  the  left  and  headed 
straight  for  a  wooded  spur  that  extended  from  the 
range  to  the  shore.  In  a  short  time  the  three  came 
to  a  well-traveled  trail  and  were  soon  riding  through 


216    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

the  semi-dusk  of  the  woods.    For  two  miles  they 
went  up  a  steady  grade. 

Then  they  rounded  the  summit  of  the  wooded 
ridge  and  saw  stretching  far  below  them  in  the  in- 
distinct dusk,  a  wide  plain  bounded  on  the  West  by 
the  blue  darkness  of  the  level  sea  with  its  rim  of 
yellow  sand. 

"We  will  soon  be  at  the  home  of  my  friend,  Senor 
Valdez,"  said  the  Spaniard,  "where  we  will  spend 
the  night." 

"I'm  a  lovely  looking  object  to  present  itself  in  a 
civilized  home,"  protested  Jim,  "I  look  like  a  tough 
who  has  been  in  a  bar-room  rush." 

"You  are  my  brave  friend,"  said  Senor  Sebastian, 
quietly,  "and  will  be  welcome." 

Jim  blushed,  at  least  one  side  of  his  face  did,  the 
other  was  already  too  deeply  colored  to  show  any 
emotion,  and  he  grinned  sheepishly.  Before  he  had 
time  to  reply  they  swept  into  an  open  driveway, 
carefully  sanded,  and  drew  rein  in  front  of  a  long, 
low  white  adobe  house,  that  from  its  mountain  ter- 
race looked  over  Plain  and  Sea. 

Out  came  Senor  Valdez  to  receive  them,  a  stately 
Spaniard,  who  furnished  the  boys  with  an  ideal  of 
perfect  courtesy  ever  after.  To  the  end  of  their 
days  they  remembered  their  first  visit  to  the  home 
of  Senor  Valdez.  How  they  did  enjoy  their  dinner 


ANOTHER  FRIEND  217 

that  evening  in  the  long,  pleasantly  lighted  dining- 
room. 

It  was  an  excellent  meal,  with  delicious  soup,  a 
salad  garnished  with  peppers  of  the  Spanish  style, 
and  garlic.  Jim  and  Jo  had  never  tasted  anything 
equal  to  it.  Besides  there  were  frijoles  and  lamb, 
while  the  dessert  was  some  slight  and  delicate  con- 
fection of  jelly  and  cream,  made  by  the  hands  of 
the  Senora  Valdez. 

"I  feel  wicked  sitting  here  and  eating  this  fine 
meal,"  said  Jo,  addressing  Jim  in  a  low  voice, 
"when  Tom  and  Juarez  are  being  ill  used  and  prob- 
ably starved." 

"Well,"  replied  Jim,  who  was  always  practical, 
"I  think  it  is  better  to  eat,  and  to  keep  my  strength 
up." 

"I  guess  it  won't  fail,"  commented  Jo  slyly. 

The  boys  bore  themselves  well,  and  without  any 
diffidence  though  Jim  had  a  whimsical  recollection 
of  his  bruised  side  face  and  blackened  eye,  and  he 
tried  to  keep  it  turned  from  the  Senora  Valdez,  the 
fragile  little  woman  who  sat  at  the  end  of  the  table 
opposite  her  husband.  She  'had  snow  white  hair, 
parted  low  over  her  ears  and  the  pallid  face  was 
lined  with  years.  Very  gentle  was  the  Senora  Val- 
dez, but  she  had  in  her  time  beheld  scenes  of  car- 


218    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

nage  and  terror,  so  Jim  need  not  have  worried 
about  his  bruised  face.  But  the  wise  old  lady 
noticed  his  solicitude  and  understanding,  was  the 
more  gracious  to  the  young  Americano  because 
of  It 

That  evening  they  sat  on  the  piazza,  that  looked 
out  towards  the  sea,  the  Spaniards  smoking  and 
Jim  and  Jo  enjoying  the  music  of  a  guitar  played 
by  a  Mexican  in  a  dim  corner  of  the  verandah  and 
the  boys  heard  a  bit  of  important  news. 

"There  was  a  mysterious  ship  put  into  shore 
several  miles  South  of  here,  late  last  night,  Senor," 
said  their  host,  "one  of  my  shepherds  brought  me 
word." 

"The  first  scent  of  the  trail,"  cried  Jim  eagerly. 
Then  the  Senor  Sebastian  explained  to  his  friend 
more  fully  the  objects  of  their  search.  Immediately 
the  listener  was  deeply  interested.  Then  he  sent  for 
an  Indian,  one  of  his  trusted  men,  to  come  to  "him, 
and  gave  him  minute  instructions  about  some  mat- 
ters. Without  a  word  the  Indian  turned  and  dis- 
appeared in  the  darkness,  and  in  a  short  time  there 
came  the  sound  of  a  horse  galloping  full  speed  down 
the  road. 

"Tomorrow,  Senor  Darlington,  this  Indian  will 
meet  you  at  a  point  near  the  Puebla  de  los  Angeles, 


ANOTHER  FRIEND  219 

which  my  friend  knows  and  he  will  have  all  the  in- 
formation there  is  obtainable  as  to  the  location  of 
this  ship  and  its  crew,"  thus  spoke  the  Senor  Val- 
dez.  Jim  thanked  him  with  deep  fervor  for  his  un- 
usual kindness,  but  the  Spaniard  made  light  of  it 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

A  TALE  OF  YORE 

As  they  sat  there  in  the  dusk  of  the  verandah, 
Jim  would  have  liked  to  ask  his  host  to  re- 
late some  of  his  experiences  in  southern  Califor- 
nia for  he  felt  sure  that  the  Senor  Valdez  had 
known  something  of  adventure  not  only  because 
those  early  days  were  full  of  marvels  of  interest, 
but  there  was  something  in  the  bearing  of  the 
old  Spaniard  that  spoke  of  former  days  of  romance 
and  of  stirring  incidents. 

Then,  too,  there  was  something  in  the  after-din- 
ner content  and  quiet,  following  the  perilous 
adventure  which  they  had  been  through  that  pre- 
disposed the  boys  to  listen  to  a  good  story  of  adven- 
ture. Their  friend,  the  Senor  Sebastian,  seemed 
to  divine  what  *was  passing  through  Jim's  mind, 
for  he  suddenly  spoke,  breaking  the  meditative 
spell  that  had  fallen  upon  the  group  on  the  piazza. 

"It  just  occurred  to  me,  Senor  Valdez,  that  our 
friends  here  might  like  to  hear  something  of  the 

early  days  in  this  part  of  the  country,  for  you  of 
220 


A  TALE  OF  YORE  221 

all  men  know  it  thoroughly  and  I  am  sure  it  would 
interest  them." 

"Indeed,  it  would,  Senor,"  cried  Jim  enthusias- 
tically, "it  was  in  my  mind  to  ask  Senor  Valdez  to 
tell  us  of  the  early  days  but  I  was  afraid  to  im- 
pose upon  him/' 

"I  feel  greatly  honored  to  think  that  you  young 
men  would  care  to  hear  anything  my  poor  tongue 
could  relate.  It  would  hardly  be  worth  your  dis- 
tinguished attention."  Jim  made  due  allowance 
for  the  courteous  exaggeration  characteristic  of  the 
Spaniard. 

"Try  us,  Senor,"  he  said  briefly,  "we  would 
want  nothing  better." 

"I  will  have  the  coffee  brought  first,"  replied 
the  Senor,  "that  may  serve  to  stimulate  my  dull 
imagination." 

In  a  short  time  a  softly  moving  servant  brought 
out  a  tray  of  coffee  cups,  and  placed  one  before 
each  guest  on  a  small  wicker  table.  Jim  noticed 
these  cups  with  immediate  interest.  They  were 
certainly  beautiful  and  he  had  never  seen  any- 
thing like  them  before.  They  were  of  a  won- 
derful blue,  each  one,  and  had  a  coat  of  arms 
in  gold  with  raised  figures  on  it;  a  scroll  above 
with  a  Latin  motto,  and  beneath  the  representation 
of  a  wild  animal  couchant.  The  Senor  Valdez  was 


222    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

quick  to  see  Jim's  interest  and  respond  to  it.  "That 
is  the  coat  of  arms  of  my  family,"  he  explained. 

"I  am  not  a  scholar,  Senor,"  said  Jim,  "and 
all  I  can  make  of  the  motto  is  that  it  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  a  lion." 

"You  are  quite  right,"  the  ghost  of  a  smile 
hovered  around  the  white-fringed  lips  of  the 
Spaniard,  at  Jim's  innate  boyishness. 

"That  figure  does  not  look  exactly  like  a  lion," 
remarked  Jo  frankly. 

"Not  like  an  African  lion  certainly,"  replied  the 
Spaniard,  "but  a  lion  nevertheless,  such  as  one  finds 
yet  in  the  mountain  fastnesses  of  Spain,  something 
like  a  panther  only  larger  and  much  more  fierce." 

"The  lion  seems  to  have  a  rope  or  chain  around 
his  neck,"  commented  Jim,  "and  fastened  to  a 
collar." 

"Quite  so,"  responded  the  Spaniard,  "likewise 
the  motto  translated  reads,  'Gentle  as  a  Lion.' " 

"Rather  strange  way  of  putting  it,"  said  Jim  curi- 
ously. 

"I  will  explain,  for  you  would  naturally  be 
puzzled  by  the  phrase,  'Gentle  as  a  Lion,'  as  it 
seems  to  contradict  common  knowledge,"  said 
Senor  Valdez.  "You  see  my  family  has  the  dis- 
tinction, if  such  it  can  be  called,  in  these  modern 


A  TALE  OF  YORE  223 

days,  the  distinction  of  being  old.  This  coat-of- 
arms  dates  back  to  the  eleventh  century." 

Jo  was  about  to  give  a  prolonged  whistle  of  sur- 
prise when  Jim  gripped  his  knee  to  enforce  silence, 
for  though  Jo  might  mean  all  right,  the  Spaniard 
might  not  understand. 

"The  founder  of  the  family  who  flourished  at 
that  time  was  a  rather  rugged  character,  and  I  am 
afraid  would  regard  the  family  representatives  of 
this  day  as  very  puny  and  unworthy  specimens. 
This  Rodriquez  de  Valdez  had  his  castle  in  a 
rugged  mountainous  part  of  Spain,  where  there 
were  plenty  of  wild  animals  and  of  wilder  and 

fiercer  men,  bandits  and  freebooters  without  num- 
ber. 

"His  castle  was  a  very  powerful  one,  not  only 
in  construction  but  likewise  in  location,  as  it  was 
built  on  a  shelf  of  rock  above  a  deep  chasm,  with 
precipitous  cliffs  behind  it.  However,  Rodriquez 
de  Valdez  spent  but  very  little  time  behind  the  pro- 
tection of  its  powerful  walls.  It  would  take  the 
forces  of  some  strong  Duke  from  the  lowland  to 
cause  him  to  seek  the  shelter  of  his  castle  and  to 
raise  his  war  banner  of  crimson  with  a  blue  cross 
upon  it,  above  the  turret. 

"He  spent  his  days  hunting  among  the  moun- 
tains for  wild  beasts  or  for  marauding  bands  of 


224    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

lawless  men.  Rodriquez  was  a  man  of  wonderful 
strength,  even  for  those  days,  when  there  were 
giants  in  the  land.  In  stature  six  feet  five  and 
powerful  in  proportion  and  likewise  very  fleet  of 
foot.  If  I  should  tell  you  of  some  of  the  legends 
of  his  strength  and  swiftness,  you  would  probably 
laugh. 

"But  the  one  that  has  to  do  with  the  coat-of-arms 
of  my  family  I  will  tell  you.  It  chanced  one  day 
that  he  was  out  in  the  wilds  of  the  mountains 
and  quite  alone.  Intent  upon  the  trail  of  a  deer 
that  he  was  following  along  a  shelving  mountain 
side,  he  did  not  see  a  lion  half  grown,  but  never- 
theless very  dangerous,  which  was  crouching  on 
the  branch  of  a  tree  ready  to  spring  upon  him  when 
he  got  beneath  it. 

"When  he  had  passed  by  under  the  tree  a  pace 
or  two,  the  lion  sprang  with  distended  claws. 
Some  instinct  of  danger  made  Rodriquez  turn  and 
he  was  just  in  time  to  grapple  with  the  brute, 
clutching  it  by  the  throat.  The  lion  had  some 
advantage  in  weight  but  not  a  great  deal,  for  my 
brave  ancestor  was  probably  three  hundred  pounds 
of  sinew,  bone  and  muscle.  So  that  the  struggle 
was  not  such  an  unequal  one,  but  it  was  terrific 
while  it  did  last.  Finally,  though  torn  and  bleed- 


A  TALE  OF  YORE  225 

ing,  the  man  subdued  the  beast,  and  had  it  in  abject 
fear  of  him. 

"Then  instead  of  killing  the  lion  as  one  would 
naturally  expect,  Rodriquez  took  a  strange  humor- 
ous notion  into  his  head.  He  would  make  a  pet  of 
this  same  lion  and  it  should  be  his  dog  to  follow 
obediently  at  its  master's  heels  wherever  he  went. 
This  idea  he  carried  out  and  he  even  had  a  heavy 
brass  collar  placed  upon  its  neck,  and  it  followed 
him  on  all  his  trips,  slouching  with  padded  tread 
at  his  heel,  or  behind  his  war  horse  as  he  rode 
abroad,  like  a  powerful  yellow  dog. 

"I  do  not  imagine  that  the  beast  ever  had  any 
great  amount  of  affection  for  his  master,  but  he 
no  doubt  was  in  great  fear  of  him,  which  seemed 
to  answer  the  purpose  quite  as  well.  So,  my 
friends,  you  have  a  full  and  complete  explanation 
of  the  coat-of  arms  of  my  family.  My  only  fear  is 
that  I  have  wearied  you  with  what  could  not  have 
the  same  interest  for  you  as  it  does  for  me." 

"Indeed,  you  have  not  wearied  us,  Senor,"  ex- 
claimed Jo  enthusiastically. 

"That  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  accounts 
that  I  have  ever  listened  to,"  said  Jim.  "I  only 
wish  I  could  have  lived  in  those  days  when  there 
was  plenty  of  adventure." 

"I  do  not  think  that  you  have  any  reason  to  com- 


226    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

plain,"  remarked  the  Spaniard  laughingly.  "Per- 
haps your  descendants  in  future  years  will  be 
pointing  out  your  daring  deeds  as  emblazoned  on 
their  coat-of-anns." 

"No  danger  of  that,  I  guess,"  laughed  Jim, 
"though  they  might  have  a  picture  of  Jo  and  me 
tied  to  a  mule.  That  was  the  way  old  Captain 
Broom  treated  us."  The  Spaniard  joined  in  the 
merriment  at  this  unheroic  representation  of  Jo  and 
Jim. 

"Now,  Senor  Valdez,  you  have  told  us  a  tale 
of  old  Spain,  tell  us  something  of  new  Spain  here 
in  California,"  urged  Jo. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  now  someone  else's 
turn,"  said  the  Senor.  "I  would  not  do  all  the 
talking.  A  host  should  sometimes  listen.  Perhaps 
Senor  Darlington  will  tell  us  of  some  of  his  ex- 
periences. They  will  be  much  more  stirring  than 
any  musty  tales  of  mine."  But  Jim  shook  his  head 
firmly,  not  to  say  obstinately. 

"I  would  not  think  of  telling  our  adventures," 
he  replied.  "Perhaps  after  we  have  travelled  more, 
we  will  have  something  worth  while  relating." 

"That's  right,"  said  Jo,  "we  would  much  rather 
listen  to  you,  Senor." 

The  Senor  Valdez  sipped  slowly  at  his  coffee, 
looking  out  into  the  semi-darkness  beyond  the  ve- 


A  TALE  OF  YORE  227 

randah,  where  over  the  plain  below  stretched  the 
gray  blanket  of  the  fog-clouds.  Then  he  rolled 
another  cigarette,  lit  it  and  took  a  few  meditative 
puffs.  The  Senor  now  began  his  next  story  at  a 
peculiar  angle,  and  did  not  commence  with  the 
stereotyped  form  of  "once  upon  a  time,"  so  dear 
to  the  days  of  one's  childhood. 

"I  see  you  do  not  take  cream  in  your  coffee," 
he  said  addressing  Jim. 

"No,  but  I  like  some  sugar,  not  too  much." 

"It  has  seemed  to  me,"  said  the  Spaniard,  "that 
the  seasoning  of  coffee  is  in  a  way  an  indication 
of  character." 

"Where  the  party  uses  milk  in  his  coffee  that 
indicates  weakness,  does  it  not,  Senor?"  inquired 
Jim  with  a  sly  look  at  Jo,  but  the  subtle  Spaniard 
was  not  to  be  trapped. 

"Not  necessarily,"  he  replied,  "only  mildness." 

"And  when  it  is  taken  straight  and  black  that 
means  a  strong  character,"  remarked  Jo. 

"You    have    stated    it,"    replied    the    Spaniard. 

"But  I  would  like  to  know  how  I  would  be  sized 
up  ?"  questioned  Jim,  "you  see  I  use  a  little  sugar." 

"My  friend,"  said  the  Spaniard  with  playful 
earnestness,  putting  his  hand  lightly  on  Jim's  knee, 
"that  shows  a  character  of  great  strength,  tem- 
pered with  mercy  and  human  kindness.  All  of 


228    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

which  leads  one  to  speak  of  a  man  who  was  once 
famous  in  this  part  of  the  country,  but  not  popular. 
He  always  had  the  reputation  for  taking  a  strong 
liquor  in  his  coffee,  Fernet,  if  I  remember  right. 
His  name  was  Alverado,  but  I  judge  that  you  are 
not  acquainted  with  it." 

"No,"  replied  Jim,  "but  I  should  say  that  he  was 
a  very  fierce  character." 

"He  was.     He  was  a  bandit." 

"I  thought  so,"  agreed  Jim. 

"This  Don  Alverado  came  from  a  well  known 
Spanish  family,  of  ancient  lineage,  but  impoverished 
fortune.  He  was  such  a  wild  and  unruly  blade 
that  his  family  were  decidedly  relieved  when  he 
left  Spain  and  came  to  the  new  world  to  mend  his 
fortune,  if  not  his  ways.  He  landed  first  in  Mexico, 
and  after  a  series  of  more  or  less  remarkable  ad- 
ventures, he  came  to  this  part  of  California.  I 
knew  him,  or  rather  I  knew  of  his  family  in  Spain, 
and  for  their  sake  I  made  him  welcome  here  at  my 
home. 

"He  was  really  a  charming  fellow  in  manner  and 
appearance,  tall,  slight,  with  dark  eyes  and  hair,  a 
typical  cavalier.  But  the  graces  of  his  manner  did 
not  reach  down  tc  his  heart,  and  after  a  disagree- 
able episode  which  I  need  not  revive  here,  he  left 
my  rancho  never  to  return  except  as  an  enemy. 


A  TALE  OF  YORE  229 

I  heard  nothing  further  of  him  after  his  departure 
for  some  six  months.  My  next  introduction  to  him 
was  an  unpleasant  one. 

"It  consisted  in  the  loss  of  a  band  of  horses  and 
a  herd  of  cattle  which  were  driven  off  by  a  gang 
of  raiders,  thirteen  in  number,  at  the  head  of  which 
was  this  fellow  Alverado.  His  depredations  went 
on  for  years  among  the  ranchmen  in  this  part  of 
California.  So  resourceful  and  crafty  was  this  des- 
perado that  he  evaded  trap  after  trap  laid  for  his 
capture. 

"He  had  several  very  close  calls  and  there  were 
numerous  battles  between  the  outlaws  and  the  ranch 
owners,  but  though  some  of  his  men  were  shot, 
he  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life.  I  remember 
one  running  fight  over  the  plain  yonder,  when,  be- 
lieving me  to  be  absent  from  home,  as  I  had  been, 
but  returned  unexpectedly  from  the  north,  this 
Alverado  and  his  gang  made  a  bold  dash  to  capture 
some  horses  from  a  field  directly  below  the  house. 

"It  did  not  take  long  to  get  my  men  together 
and  I  gave  the  bandits  a  surprise  indeed.  Noth- 
ing but  the  speed  of  Alverado's  horse,  a  splendid 
black  stallion,  saved  him  from  capture.  We  got 
several  of  his  men  however.  At  last  there  came 
the  turning  of  the  lane.  Through  the  treachery  of 
one  of  the  band  we  found  that  their  rendezvous  was 


230    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

at  the  head  of  a  small  canyon  in  a  range  of  foot- 
hills several  miles  south  of  here. 

"You  will  go  through  it  to-morrow  on  your  way 
south,  if  you  carry  out  your  speed  schedule,  which 
with  your  remarkable  horses  you  ought  to  be  able 
to.  We  came  upon  the  gang  about  noon,  where 
they  were  resting  after  a  long  chase.  In  a  corral 
near  by  were  a  number  of  stolen  stock.  They 
were  not  expecting  trouble  of  any  kind.  Some 
were  playing  cards,  a  few  cooking,  most,  however, 
were  enjoying  the  siesta,  their  leader  among  the 
number  lay  under  the  shadow  of  a  tree,  his  head 
resting  on  a  saddle,  sound  asleep. 

There  were  fifty  of  us,  and  we  had  them  sur- 
rounded, so  that  there  was  no  chance  of  escape. 
Alverado  himself  made  a  desperate  dash,  but  the 
cordon  was  too  strong.  The  rest  surrendered. 
That  afternoon  we  took  the  bunch  to  the  lower 
end  of  the  canyon,  where  there  was  a  giant  syca- 
more tree.  There  we  hanged  the  whole  thirteen, 
and  by  them  no  more  were  troubled  not  even  by 
their  ghosts." 

Jim  and  Jo  expressed  their  appreciation  of  their 
host's  kindness  in  entertaining  them  as  he  truly 
had  done  in  relating  his  tales.  Then  they  said 
good  night  and  went  to  their  room. 

That  night  the  boys  slept  in  a  comfortable  bed  in 


A  TALE  OF  YORE  231 

a  quaint  old  bedroom  with  roses  nodding  in  at  the 
half  open  casement  windows.  By  the  light  of  the 
candles  they  could  see  the  strange  old  and  carved 
furniture  and  tired  as  they  were  how  they  did 
sleep. 

The  next  morning  they  started  hours  before  day- 
light. "I  will  be  prepared  to  welcome  more  of  you 
in  a  few  days,"  said  the  Senor  Valdez,  and  the  boys 
thanked  him  heartily.  Promising  to  return  soon 
they  galloped  away  through  the  darkness. 

All  day  they  rode,  hardly  drawing  rein  at  all.  At 
first  through  the  foot-hills  and  then  over  the  wide 
plains.  Jo  had  a  fresh  horse,  a  powerful  black,  as 
his  other  mount  could  not  stand  the  strain  of  the 
long  trip  that  meant  three  score  and  ten  of  miles  be- 
fore evening. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  they  left  the  plain  and  rode 
into  the  deep  and  rugged  gorges  of  a  mountain 
chain,  running  East  and  West.  Thence  into  a  broad 
valley  leading  South-easterly,  and  about  four  P.  M. 
they  turned  directly  South  entering  a  Pass  in  the 
Southern  side  of  the  valley,  from  which  they 
emerged  on  a  plain.  Where  the  trail  left  the  Pass 
stood  a  large  scycamore  tree,  when  they  reached  it, 
the  Indian  messenger  rose  from  its  shelter. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

A  WONDERFUL   LEAP 

Now  without  hestitation  we  must  take  up  the  for- 
tunes or  rather  misfortunes  of  Tom  and  Juarez  as 
they  landed  in  the  darkness  upon  the  mysterious 
island,  for  our  narrative  presses  to  its  conclusion. 
Never  did  they  feel  more  hopeless  than  on  this  oc- 
casion, when  they  were  going  to  a  dubious  and  un- 
certain fate. 

"You  boys  come  with  me,"  called  the  Captain 
gruffly. 

"How  about  me,  Cap'n?"  asked  Jeems  Howell, 
the  lanky  shepherd. 

"What's  your  business  ?"  inquired  Captain  Broom 
briefly. 

"Looking  after  the  sheeps." 

"Then  attend  to  it,"  said  the  Captain  grimly. 

"Certainly,  Cap'n,"  replied  the  shepherd,  who  was 
incapable  of  taking  offense. 

"You  come,  Jake,"  called  the  Captain,  to  one  of 
the  sailors,  "and  be  quick  about  it,  we  haven't 
232 


A  WONDERFUL  LEAP  233 

much  time."  Tom  shivered,  for  in  the  gloom  and 
tired  as  he  was  he  felt  that  his  time  too  was 
short. 

Then  with  the  Captain  in  the  lead,  carrying  a 
lantern,  which  was  muffled  in  his  great  coat,  they 
started,  the  sailor  bringing  up  the  rear. 

"Look  out  sharp,  that  these  lads  don't  spring 
something  on  you,  Jake.  They  are  a  bad  lot." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  replied  the  sailor,  "they'll  have  to 
be  quick  to  get  the  jump  on  me,  sir." 

"It's  the  Injun  one's  the  worst.  Don't  let  him 
scalp  you,"  warned  the  Captain  jocosely. 

"I'm  no  Indian,"  said  Juarez,  hoarsely  and  utterly 
reckless  of  his  fate,  "I'm  an  American,  and  was 
proud  of  it,  till  I  found  you  were  one,  you  cursed 
yankee  barnacle." 

"Ho,  ho,  lad!"  roared  the  Captain,  "you  won't 
talk  so  tall  in  a  few  minutes.  Nothing  like  a  slow 
fire  for  stewing  the  nonsense  out  of  a  fresh  kid." 

"How  far  is  this  cave  of  yours,  you  are  taking  us 
to,  old  salt  horse?"  said  Juarez  insolently,  and  ut- 
terly unwise. 

This  was  too  much  for  Captain  Broom,  and  with 
an  imprecation  he  turned  to  strike  Juarez.  This 
was  what  Juarez  was  looking  for  and  as  the  furious 
Skipper  whirled  facing  him,  Juarez  dodged  his  huge 
fist,  and  sent  a  fierce  hook  to  the  Captain's  jaw. 


234    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

There  was  anger,  desperation  and  strength  behind 
that  blow  and  the  Captain  fell,  striking  his  head  on 
a  rock.  That  time  the  Frontier  Boys  scored. 

"Follow  me,  Tom,"  yelled  Juarez,  and  he  sprang 
away  through  the  darkness.  It  seemed  like  a  hope- 
less undertaking  to  make  an  escape  with  the  sea  on 
one  side  and  the  cliffs  on  the  other,  and  a  des- 
perate enemy  near  at  hand.  But  Juarez  thought  it 
was  best  to  take  a  chance.  Anything  was  better 
than  captivity,  that  was  seemingly  just  ahead  of 
them. 

One  thing  he  was  determined  on  and  that  was, 
that  he  would  not  be  taken  alive.  He  ran  splashing 
through  the  water,  leaping  rocks,  with  the  two 
sailors  in  fast  pursuit.  Not  far  ahead  to  the  right 
was  the  white  dash  of  the  breakers  that  shut  off 
escape  in  that  direction,  to  the  left  was  the  cliffs. 

Then  before  him  rose  a  steep  but  not  precipitous 
rock  that  had  been  divided  from  the  main  cliff  by 
the  action  of  the  water.  Instantly  Juarez  aban- 
doned his  desperate  plan  of  plunging  into  the  sea, 
and  without  lessening  his  speed,  he  sprang  up  the 
rock,  in  his  moccasined  feet. 

The  sailor  who  was  following  most  closely,  got  up 
ten  feet  when  he  .slipped  and  rolled  violently  to  the 
bottom,  knocking  down  the  one  who  came  after. 


A  WONDERFUL  LEAP  235 

Once  Juarez  came  near  falling  but  he  caught  him- 
self, and  kept  going  up,  driven  by  a  desperation  that 
seemed  to  carry  him  over  every  obstacle. 

"We've  got  yer,  ye  little  shrimp,"  exultantly 
cried  the  sailors  at  the  base  of  the  rock,  "Ye  can't 
get  away  unless  you  fly." 

"Shoot  the  blasted  little  varmint,"  roared  the  Cap- 
tain, who,  still  dizzy,  had  struggled  to  his  feet.  In 
obedience  to  the  order  a  flash  punctured  the  dark- 
ness and  there  was  a  roar  like  artillery  echoing 
among  the  hollow  cliffs.  A  slug  of  lead  whistled 
past  Juarez's  head. 

The  boy  had  now  reached  the  top  of  the  rock  and 
was  at  the  crisis  of  his  fate,  a  distance  of  ten  feet 
separated  him  from  the  main  cliff,  not  an  impossible 
jump  but  the  foothold  was  precarious  and  uncertain, 
and  fifty  feet  or  more  below  were  the  jagged  rocks, 
and  enemies  equally  as  hard,  but  Juarez  did  not  hesi- 
tate. 

He  dodged  down  just  as  the  sailors  fired  another 
shot,  then  he  sprang  to  the  narrow  pinnacle  of  the 
rock  and  bending  slightly  forward  with  bent  knees 
and  swinging  hand,  poised  for  the  leap. 

"The  condemned  fool  is  going  to  jump,"  roared 
the  Captain.  "Shoot  him  on  the  wing." 

But  the  sailors  were  not  ready  and  the  skipper 
ran  between  the  rock  and  the  cliff  to  be  at  hand  to 


236    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

stamp  the  life  out  of  Juarez  when  he  should  fall  as 
he  knew  he  would.  Then  he  leaped,  a  dark  object 
flying  through  space,  his  hands  caught  the  edge  of 
the  cliff,  the  roots  of  a  small  bush  held  him  for  a 
moment,  then  he  slipped.  Below  him  was  certain 
death. 

Two  strong  hands  caught  his  arms,  and  he  was 
drawn  in  safety  to  the  cliff  above.  The  Captain  and 
the  two  sailors  watched  in  open  mouthed 
wonder,  all  they  could  see  was  the  dim  figure  of 
Juarez  crawl  in  safety  over  the  top  of  the  cliff,  but 
they  could  not  determine  the  means  of  his  es- 
cape. 

It  struck  a  superstitious  chord  in  their  natures 
and  the  skipper  became  moody  and  silent. 

Juarez  breathlessly  followed  the  lanky  figure  of 
the  shepherd  through  the  darkness,  for  it  was  no 
other  who  had  extended  the  rescuing  hand.  Hardly 
a  word  was  spoken,  and  they  started  off.  After  going 
a  considerable  distance  they  came  to  a  slab  hut  built 
at  the  foot  of  a  high  range  of  hills  that  formed  the 
backbone  of  the  island. 

Two  shepherd  dogs  rushed  forth  and  gave  their 
master  a  boisterous  welcome,  and  were  soon  good 
friends  with  Juarez.  Everything  in  the  hut  was 
neat;  with  Indian  rugs  on  the  floor  which  gave  a 


'A  WONDERFUL  LEAP  237 

warm  touch  of  color  to  the  interior  and  one  side  of 
the  hut  was  lined  with  books. 

"What  am  I  thinking  of,"  suddenly  cried  Juarez 
in  dismay,  "to  leave  Tom  in  the  hands  of  that  crew? 
My  head  is  wrong."  With  that,  he  grew  pale  and 
slid  unconscious  to  the  floor.  He  had  evidently  not 
recovered  from  the  blow  that  the  Mexican  had  dealt 
him  a  few  days  before,  and  the  strain  he  had  been 
under  brought  on  a  relapse.  The  shepherd  worked 
over  him  a  long  time  before  he  finally  brought  him 
around. 

Meanwhile  what  had  become  of  Tom?  He  had 
not  been  quick  enough  to  make  his  escape,  and  his 
fate  was  in  the  balance  when  the  Skipper  came  up 
to  him  just  after  Juarez  had  disappeared  over  the 
cliff. 

"You  don't  get  away,  I  promise  you  that,  lad," 
growled  the  Captain.  Roughly  seizing  the  boy  by 
the  shoulder  he  dragged  him  toward  the  cliff.  Then 
the  two  disappeared  into  the  entrance  of  a  cave,  the 
Captain  still  holding  in  one  hand  his  battered  leather 
satchel. 

The  sailor  who  stood  on  guard  at  the  entrance, 
saw  just  then  the  lights  OL  a  steamer  that  was  just 
entering  the  channel  and  he  rushed  into  the  cave, 
called  to  the  Captain,  and  in  a  few  minutes  that 
worthy  appeared.  If  he  felt  any  alarm  he  showed 


238    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

none,  but  without  any  loss  of  time  he  assembled  his 
crew,  got  his  boat  free  of  land  and  rowed  silently 
out  to  sea.  Whatever  he  had  intended  to  do  with 
Tom,  evidently  passed  from  his  mind,  now  awakened 
to  the  solution  of  some  other  problem. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

IN   THE   STRAIT 

As  Juarez  and  Tom  were  under  the  kindly  es- 
cort of  Captain  Broom  and  his  sailors  in  the  whale 
boat  on  their  cruise  to  the  mysterious  island,  Jo, 
Jim  and  the  Spaniard  had  stopped  at  an  old  syca- 
more tree,  where,  as  had  been  promised,  the  In- 
dian messenger  was  awaiting  their  coming. 

"What  news,  Yaquis?"  asked  the  Spaniard, 
who  knew  the  Indian  well. 

"I  saw  the  boat  by  my  own  eyes,"  he  replied, 
"heading  for  the  Big  Island,"  pointing  to  the 
South.  "By  her  smoke  she  stopped  in  the  Bow  Har- 
bor near  the  lower  end."  So  spoke  the  Indian, 
standing  straight  and  tall.  He  was  a  picturesque 
sight  with  his  coarse,  black  hair  cut  square  and 
long. 

"The  trail  is  getting  warm,"  exclaimed  Jim 
eagerly.  "Where  can  we  get  a  boat?" 

"There  is  a  small  boat  at  the  Harbor  of  San 
Pedro,"  replied  the  Spaniard,  "that  is  the  prop- 
erty of  a  friend  of  mine.  I  doubt  not  we  can  have 
the  use  of  it." 

239 


240    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"It  is  now  a  little  after  six,"  said  Jim.  "How 
far  is  it  to  the  Harbor?" 

"A  dozen  miles,"  replied  the  Indian. 

"Is  your  horse  too  tired,  Senor  Sebastian, 
to  make  it  by  eight?"  The  Spaniard's  eyes 
flashed. 

"Senor,  Don  Fernando  is  never  tired.  Let  us 
start." 

"We  are  ready,"  replied  Jim.  "Which  is  the 
shortest  cut?" 

"I  will  guide  you,"  was  the  Indian's  response. 

"He  knows  this  country  like  the  foot  does  the 
shoe,"  assured  the  Spaniard. 

Without  more  ado,  the  new  guide  took  the  lead 
and  they  rode  at  a  rapid  gait  in  single  file.  At 
first  they  went  down  a  gentle  grade  for  several 
miles  until  they  came  to  a  perfectly  level  plain 
that  stretched  in  three  directions  to  the  sea.  At 
the  end  of  the  land  was  a  perfectly  rounded  rise 
like  a  huge  long  bolster. 

The  party  of  rescuers  left  the  Puebla  de  los 
Angeles  several  miles  to  the  East,  taking  the 
shortest  way  to  the  harbor.  There  was  no  let-up 
to  the  speed,  if  anything,  they  seemed  to  be 
going  faster,  with  sweaty  sides  and  shoulders,  but 
with  unaffected  stamina.  The  going  was  fine, 


IN  THE  STRAIT  241 

over  a  springy  turf  and  sometimes  they  tore 
through  wide  belts  of  tall  mustard. 

Jo  and  Jim  were  in  fine  fettle  as  the  end  of  the 
journey  came  in  sight  and  there  was  promise  of 
their  coming  to  close  quarters  with  the  pirates  and 
possibly  rescuing  their  oppressed  brothers  from 
captivity.  Then,  too,  the  passage  of  the  strait  in 
an  open  boat  appealed  to  their  sense  of  adventure. 

About  eight  o'clock,  they  came  to  a  ranch  two 
miles  from  the  harbor,  where  Senor  Sebastian  had 
a  short  talk  with  a  man  who  owned  the  small  boat 
that  had  been  referred  to.  He  was  perfectly 
willing  to  lend  them  the  boat  and  also  sent  a 
Mexican  servant  to  bring  back  their  horses  and 
put  them  up  in  his  stables.  Not  forgetting  to 
thank  him  for  his  great  kindness  to  them,  the  boys 
turned  their  horses'  heads  for  the  harbor,  the  last 
lap  of  their  long  journey  had  begun. 

In  a  half  hour,  they  stood  on  the  shore  of  a 
long,  narrow  inlet,  at  a  point  where  a  craft  was 
moored.  From  a  small  boat-house,  they  got  the 
oars,  the  mast  and  the  sail  to  be  used  if  the  wind 
was  right.  Then  they  were  ready  to  get  aboard. 
Jim  looked  at  his  watch.  "It  lacks  ten  minutes  of 
nine,"  he  said. 

Then  they  embarked.  The  boat  was  not  a 
mere  row-boat,  but  was  found  to  be  of  good  size 


242    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

and  about  equal  to  a  whale  boat.  It  was  staunch, 
too,  and  sea  worthy.  The  mooring  was  cast  off. 
Jim  was  at  the  bow  oar,  and  Jo  at  the  one  back  of 
him  on  the  other  side,  while  the  Indian,  Yaquis, 
steered.  The  tide  favored  them  as  they  glided 
quickly  between  the  banks,  and  they  were  not  long 
in  reaching  the  channel. 

At  first,  there  was  a  slow,  heavy  swell,  while  in 
the  lee  of  the  land,  that  did  not  bother  the  boys 
but  within  a  half  hour  they  were  in  a  choppy  sea 
with  breaking  crests,  and  now  the  real  work  for  Jo 
and  Jim  began.  Fortunately,  the  Indian  was  a 
most  skillful  oar,  and  he  kept  them  from  being 
swamped.  As  yet  there  was  no  breeze  to  help 
them. 

"This  is  almost  as  good  as  running  the  Rapids 
in  the  Grand  Canyon,"  cried  Jim  joyously. 

The  boys  were  in  fine  fettle  for  their  work,  not- 
withstanding their  long  day  in  the  saddle,  and  they 
buckled  to  it  with  a  will,  although  wet  through 
with  flying  spray.  They  had  enjoyed  a  good  rest 
the  night  before  and  after  their  long  ride  they 
were  glad  to  get  the  kinks  out  of  their  muscles. 
They  really  made  remarkably  good  headway 
against  the  sea  and  the  stoical  Indian  grunted 
approval  of  their  work.  Ah,  but  it  was  fine,  bat- 


IN  THE  STRAIT  243 

tling  with  the  waves  through  the  darkness,  while 
the  boat  thrashed  and  beat  its  way  ahead. 

The  boys  stood  to  their  oars  and  put  all  the 
strength  of  their  lithe  young  bodies  into  the  stroke 
and  they  seemed  tireless.  The  Spaniard  had  made 
himself  comfortable  in  the  bow,  where,  sheltered 
by  a  short  overhead  deck,  he  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

"Wake  me  when  it  is  time  to  be  drowned,"  he 
said.  "I  know  it  is  my  fate."  Jim  remembered 
the  Spaniard's  melancholy  of  the  day  before,  and 
laughed  heartily,  as  he  promised. 

"There  are  the  lights  of  a  vessel,"  cried  Yaquis, 
who,  though  silent,  was  ever  on  the  watch. 
"Ahead  of  us  to  the  Southwest." 

"You  are  right,"  said  Jim.  The  lights  were  like 
two  faint,  moving  stars,  one  aloft  and  the  other 
below. 

"That  isn't  the  Pirate  ship,"  declared  Jo.  "She 
wouldn't  be  showing  any  light."  After  a  while, 
the  lights  of  the  vessel  were  suddenly  eclipsed,  but 
by  the  dull  light  of  the  moon,  now  risen,  the  ves- 
sel's bulk  could  still  be  made  out. 

"She  has  gone  into  the  further  straits,"  said  Ya- 
,quis,  "between  the  two  islands." 

A  gentle  breeze  sprang  up,  but  blowing  di- 
rectly toward  them,  it  lent  no  aid.  Before  mid- 
night, the  westerly  breeze  had  died  absolutely 


244    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

down,  and  in  a  not  very  long  time,  the  sea  followed 
suit,  leaving  a  long  swell  and  the  rowing  be- 
came much  easier.  Nothing  occurred  to  break  the 
monotony  for  a  while.  There  was  the  steady 
grinding  of  the  oars  in  the  row-locks  and  the  lap- 
ping of  the  waves  in  the  gloom,  for  the  moon  was 
now  obscured  by  clouds.  Then,  of  a  sudden,  the 
Indian  called  a  halt. 

"Do  you  hear  footsteps?"  inquired  Jim,  jo- 
cosely. 

"A  steamer  coming,  I  hear  her,  no  lights.  Pull 
hard."  In  a  minute,  even  the  boys  could  hear 
the  beat  of  her  engines  and  saw  the  occasional 
flare  from  her  stacks,  then  a  dark  form  took  shape 
through  the  night.  They  pulled  lustily  for  they 
knew  their  danger  and  who  it  was.  How  quickly 
they  would  be  run  down,  if  discovered,  and  left  to 
drown  in  the  wide  strait,  when  Captain  Broom 
found  out  their  identity.  No  wonder  they  pulled. 

"Stop  now,  draw  in  your  oars.  Lie  down," 
warned  the  Indian. 

Not  a  hundred  yards  to  the  Eastward  came  The 
Sea  Eagle  and  she  was  on  an  even  line  with  the 
boat  that  lay  a  black  patch  on  the  dark  water.  If 
Captain  Broom  was  not  on  the  Bridge  they  would 
be  safe. 

"Boat  ahoy,"  boomed  out  his  voice. 


IN  THE  STRAIT  245 

"Indian  fishermen,"  cried  Yaquis.  "Stop,  take 
me  ashore." 

With  a  growl,  the  Captain  sent  his  ship  ahead, 
paying  no  attention  to  the  "Indian  fisherman"  in 
distress.  There  was  a  gleam  of  white  teeth  as 
the  Indian  smiled  at  the  hearty  congratulations  of 
the  boys  and  their  glee  at  his  stratagem.  Then 
the  Spaniard  and  Yaquis  took  the  oars  while  Jim 
steered  and  Jo  slept. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

CONCLUSION 

When  morning  came,  they  were  but  a  few  miles 
from  the  Northern  end  of  the  longer  Island  and 
the  fog  was  over  the  whole  sky.  The  sea  was 
glassy  with  a  sullen  glaze.  Nowhere  was  there 
sign  of  any  steamer  or  ship.  The  Sea  Eagle 
had  made  good  her  escape. 

"I  wish  we  had  a  stiff  breeze  to  help  us  along," 
said  the  Spaniard,  who  loved  not  manual  labor,  as 
did  the  boys. 

"It  will  come,  the  strong  breeze,  soon,"  said  the 
Indian. 

"When  we  make  the  Island,  what  are  we  to  do  ?" 
asked  Jo. 

"Who  can  tell,  maybe  Tom  and  Juarez  have  been 
taken  along  with  the  Skipper,  instead  of  being 
marooned." 

"That's  so,"  replied  Jo,  and  gloom  settled  down 
upon  his  spirits,  heavier  than  the  fog  upon  the 
sea. 

"We  will  keep  after  them,"  said  the  never  de- 
246 


CONCLUSION  247 

spondent  Jim,  "even  if  we  have  to  chase  them 
around  the  world." 

The  boat  seemed  to  crawl  so  slowly  along,  and 
the  boys  began  to  fret  in  their  eagerness  to  find 
out  whether  their  comrades  were  on  the  island  or 
not,  but  they  were  not  yet  close  enough  to  make 
out  any  object  upon  its  surface.  Then  from  the 
West  there  came  a  breeze  rippling  the  glassy  wa- 
ter. 

"Up  with  the  sail,"  cried  Jim.  "Here's  where 
we  fly." 

As  the  breeze  strengthened  to  a  wind,  they  went 
towards  the  island  at  a  clipping  gait.  When  they 
got  within  a  half  mile  of  the  shore,  they  began  to 
look  eagerly  for  some  sign  of  a  living  being  and 
they  were  disappointed  at  first,  but  they  drove 
their  boat  along  as  near  the  shore  as  they  dared. 

"Say,  did  you  hear  that?"  cried  Jim  in  excite- 
ment. "That  was  a  rifle  shot,  or  my  name  is 
Dennis." 

"Three  men  on  the  shore,"  said  the  Indian,  im- 
perturbably. 

"I  see  them,"  cried  Jo,  "on  that  beach  yonder. 
I  believe  it  is  Tom  and  Juarez.  Hurrah  for  the 
Frontier  Boys." 

"It  is  they,"  declared  Jim  as  they  drew  closer. 


248    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

"but  how  Tom  has  grown.  He  looks  over  six 
feet." 

"That  isn't  Tom,"  said  Jo.  "It's  some  one  else. 
The  short  one  is  Tom."  Then  he  saw  Jim  grin 
and  realized  that  he  had  been  kidded. 

"If  this  wasn't  my  busy  day,"  said  Jo,  "I'd  give 
you  a  punching  for  being  so  smart." 

Five  minutes  later,  the  boat  had  grounded  on 
the  pebbly  beach  and  The  Frontier  Boys  were 
again  united.  There  was  a  great  jubilee  for  a 
while  with  the  Spaniard,  the  Indian,  and  the 
lanky  shepherd  on  the  outskirts  of  the  family  cele- 
bration, but  in  a  short  time  they  were  all  good 
friends,  each  according  to  his  different  nature :  the 
Spaniard,  suave  and  courteous,  the  Indian  stolid, 
but  with  his  share  in  the  general  good-will,  and 
Jeems  Howell,  the  shepherd,  lankily  humorous. 

"We  met  our  old  friend  Captain  Broom  in  the 
channel,  boys,"  said  Jim,  "steaming  along  like  the 
Devil  was  after  him." 

"I'll  give  him  reason  to  think  so,"  growled 
Juarez  sullenly,  "if  I  ever  get  on  his  trail." 

The  Indian,  Yaquis,  grunted  approval,  for  there 
seemed  to  be  a  bond  of  sympathy  between  him 
and  Juarez,  as  the  reader  can  well  understand. 

"How  far  is  that  cave,  Tom,  where  the  old 
codger  left  you?"  inquired  Jo. 


CONCLUSION  249 

"Just  around  the  bend,"  said  Tom.  "Here's  the 
rock  where  Juarez  made  his  famous  jump." 

"How  did  you  ever  get  up  there?"  asked  Jo  in 
wonder,  looking  up  at  the  pinnacle  of  rock. 

"You'd  a  done  the  same  if  those  fellows  had 
been  chasing  you,"  replied  Juarez,  "but  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  Jeems  here  catching  me  when  I 
jumped  they  would  have  got  me  after  all." 

"I  was  a f card  you  might  have  fallen  on  the 
Skipper  and  a  hurt  him.  He's  a  kind  of  a  tender 
plant  you  know."  The  Shepherd  made  this  re- 
mark with  a  perfectly  sober  face,  in  no  wise  dis- 
turbed by  the  hilarity  of  the  boys,  over  the  idea 
of  the  tenderness  of  the  Skipper. 

"Here's  the  cave,"  said  Juarez,  and  he  led  the 
way  through  an  arched  opening  in  the  wall  of  the 
cliff.  Picking  up  a  lantern,  he  went  ahead  as 
guide. 

"This  is  certainly  a  dry  cave,"  said  Jim. 

"It  ought  to  be,"  said  Jeems  Howell.  "It  don't 
rain  on  this  Island  more  than  twice  a  year,  but  I 
feel  it  in  my  bones  that  it  is  coming  on  to  storm 
today." 

"I  hope  you  don't  feel  it  in  all  your  bones,"  re- 
marked Jim,  quizzically,  "because  it  is  liable  to  be 
a  long  drawn  out  storm  if  you  do." 


250    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

The  lanky  Shepherd  gave  himself  over  to 
spasms  of  silent  mirth  at  Jim's  queer  humor. 

"Here's  where  we  found  Tom,"  said  Juarez. 
"Just  discovered  him  a  couple  of  hours  before  you 
discovered  us." 

When  the  Captain  had  made  his  sudden  change 
of  plans,  Tom  made  himself  as  comfortable  as  he 
could  for  the  night,  intending  to  search  for  Juarez 
in  the  morning. 

"Sometime  I  hope  that  this  wretched  Captain 
will  be  captured  and  imprisoned  right  here,"  said 
the  Spaniard  with  a  cold,  vindictiveness. 

"If  he  comes  snooping  around  here  again,  that 
is  what  will  happen  to  him,"  remarked  Jim  quietly. 
"I  suppose,  Tom,  that  he  hid  some  of  the  loot  he 
took  from  us  in  this  cave  somewhere.  I  bet  this 
is  his  safe  deposit  vault,  all  right." 

"He  went  back  in  there  with  his  small  satchel," 
said  Tom,  indicating  the  depths  of  the  cave  as  yet 
unexplored. 

"It  will  keep,"  said  Jim,  "but  before  I  leave  this 
island  for  Hawaii,  I  am  going  to  search  every  cor- 
ner of  this  cave  and  see  if  I  cannot  find  our  prop- 
erty." 

"We  discovered  it  in  a  cave  and  perhaps  we  will 
lose  our  treasure  in  a  cave,"  said  Juarez,  who  was 
something  of  a  fatalist. 


CONCLUSION  251 

"Don't  you  believe  that  we  won't  find  it,"  declared 
Jim  stoutly,  "but  no  work  for  me  for  a  while.  I'm 
going  to  take  a  good  rest." 

"So  say  we  all  of  us,"  chanted  the  boys. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Jeems  Howell  oracularly,  "If 
it  pleases  you,  and  Christopher  Columbus,"  with  a 
wave  of  his  hand  toward  Jim,  "who  discovered  this 
savage  group,  we  will  now  adjourn  to  my  castle  on 
the  distant  hillside." 

"We  are  with  you,"  declared  those  assembled  in 
unison,  and  in  a  short  time  they  were  making 
their  way  up  the  slope  towards  the  "castle"  on  the 
hillside,  where  they  made  themselves  at  home. 

All  the  new  arrivals  at  the  island  were  soon  fast 
asleep. 

Later  after  several  hours  of  rest,  they  occupied 
themselves  according  to  their  different  ideas  of  com- 
fort. 

The  Spaniard  amused  himself  thrumming" on  a 
guitar,  that  belonged  to  one  of  the  Mexican  herders 
on  the  island.  Tom  got  a  book,  and  stretched  out 
on  a  rug  forgetful  of  all  his  recent  troubles,  while 
Jim  and  Juarez  borrowed  a  couple  of  guns  and  went 
for  an  hour's  hunting,  in  the  woods  which  at  that 
time  covered  the  mountain  ridges  of  the  island. 

That  evening  they  were  all  gathered  in  the  cabin 
before  the  blazing  fire  on  the  stone  hearth,  while 


252    FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 

outside  raged  the  Easterly  storm  that  Jeems  Howell 
had  predicted,  with  rush  of  wind  and  sweep  of  rain. 
But  the  slab  cabin  was  storm  proof  and  comfortable. 
It  is  a  good  place  to  leave  the  boys  after  their  days 
of  trial  and  bitter  hardship.  In  our  next  book  we 
will  meet  "The  Frontier  Boys  in  Hawaii,  or  The 
mystery  of  The  Hollow  Mountain."  There,  I  feel 
confident  they  will  cope  with  adventures  as  unusual 
and  as  remarkable  as  they  have  heretofore  encount- 
ered. I  am  sure  that  the  Reader  will  be  anxious  to 
accompany  them  on  their  journey.  But  we  must 
permit  the  Frontier  Boys  to  have  the  last  word,  in 
this  volume. 

"Do  you  think  that  Captain  Broom,  will  return 
here,  before  we  get  away  for  Hawaii,  Jim?"  in- 
quired brother  Jo. 

"I  certainly  do,"  replied  Jim,  "and  we  will  be 
right  here,  to  give  him  a  warm  and  hearty  Wel- 
come, you  can  rest  assured  of  that." 


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